Posted on 06/03/2002 2:55:55 AM PDT by colette_g
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The BBC's Jonny Donovan in Madagascar says that heavy fighting is continuing on Monday morning after the airport in Sambava was seized by Mr Ravalomanana's forces over the week-end.
Mr Ravalomanana's officials have recently threatened to use military force to break the blockades on their stronghold in the capital, Antananarivo.
The fighting comes as the Organisation of African Unity prepares to meet to discuss the turmoil in Madagascar, which follows last December's disputed elections.
'Creeping'
Mr Ravalomanana was sworn in as president last month but Mr Ratsiraka has refused to recognise his defeat.
Ratsiraka is refusing to stand down
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Mr Ratsiraka's supporters, who control much of the countryside around Antananarivo including the main ports, erected roadblocks around the capital in February.
Fuel and food is becoming scarce and aid workers warn of a "creeping" humanitarian emergency.
Last week, an attempt to take control of the airport in the country's second port city of Mahajanga by Mr Ravalomanana's forces was repulsed.
Does anyone really doubt that if Clinton thought he could have gotten away with it he would not have tried to do something along these lines?
E.g., the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Yeah. But not without laughing.
Ratsirak's security is made of North Koreans because he does not even trust his own people to do that job for him.
Well, birds of a feather, starve together.
Nevertheless, the alternative doesn't seem much better.
Typical, Third World tyrant vs. tyrant no-win situation.
I found this, which may be of interest to you on this thread.
Tanzania orders suspect plane out
By MIKE MANDE DAR ES SALAAM, Thursday
A French charter plane carrying 15 French mercenaries on its way to Madagascar was briefly detained at Dar es Salaam International Airport (DIA) and forced back to Paris after the French government asked Tanzania not to allow it to proceed to Madagascar.
A French spokesman exposed the Falcon 900 plane with 15 mercenaries from Paris who were on their mission to boost militants loyal to ousted Madagascar President, Didier Ratsiraka.
Reports from Antananarivo said the plane, carrying French mercenaries recruited by Mr Ratsiraka, was forced to land at DIA for refuelling and the French authorities asked the Tanzania government to detain the plane and ordered the group back to Paris.
Senior officials at DIA told the Nation that the plane, carrying 15 passengers, all French nationals had stopped for refuelling on Tuesday but was told by airport security officials that it did not have permission to land in the Madagascar capital Antananarivo.
"All passengers were taken to Royal Palm Hotel (formerly Sheraton Dar es Salaam), while the issue was being sorted out. Then the French government asked Tanzania to order the plane back to Paris because the passengers were illegal," said the official.
The French embassy in Dar es Salaam said they were aware that the plane had landed at DIA but it was not a French government plane.
A senior Madagascar army source, loyal to Mr Marc Ravalomanana, the new President, said a dozen French mercenaries were on the the Paris-to-Madagascar flight.
The source further said the mercenaries left Paris on Tuesday led by the chief mercenary, Mr Marc Garibaldi known in many of Africa's hot spots.
"He has fought many wars on the continent, he is a dangerous man given an opportunity he can do anything," said the army official.
The Nation in Dar es Salaam has established an internet reports that Mr Garibaldi is a former French soldier who has in the past worked as a gun for hire in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in Cote d'Ivoire.
However, other sources in France said Mr Garibaldi was at his home on France yesterday.
The Plane had planned to fly on to Toamasina, a port on the east coast of Madagascar where Mr Ratsiraka, who still regards himself as president has set up a parallel government. Ratsiraka left Madagascar for France last week.
According to military and independent sources from Madagascar, the official flight plan said the aircraft would pick up a delegation of Ratsiraka associates from Toamasina and take them to Addis Ababa, where the Organisation of African Unity is due to hold a summit meeting on Madagascar on Friday.
It's probably too late except for lemurs that are already in zoos, but it's not war, just development. On the other hand an invasion by a dozen men on a speedboat is considered a major war in those parts.
CIA -- The World Factbook -- Madagascar
Description: Features map and brief descriptions of geography, economy, government, and people.
Category: Regional > Africa > Madagascar
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