Madagascar: Rioters Attack the Municipality

The anger of cyclo-pousse riders reached its peak in Manakara yesterday. Numbering in the hundreds, they pelted the municipal offices with stones and sticks.

Tension in the town of Manakara yesterday at the end of the morning. Around noon, the urban municipality of the city in Andohatapenaka was stormed by a horde of enraged cyclo-pousse riders. According to information gathered, a disagreement between the protesters and the elements of the municipal police sparked the clashes that broke out yesterday. The protesters vented their grievances over alleged abusive actions, incriminating elements of the municipal police. A tense situation that had been brewing for a long time finally degenerated into an act of violence. Cyclo-pousse riders numbering in the hundreds, according to estimates, stormed the municipal building.

Brandishing banners, they set fire to branches on the road in front of the urban municipality headquarters. The high tension triggered an intervention by defense and security forces. When mixed elements arrived at the scene, hostility escalated. Refusing to obey, the protesters pelted the building with stones.

Injured

The window panes, as well as the glass doors, shattered. Inside, rocks and sticks thrown from the street caused significant damage in the offices.

A glass coffee table and other equipment were destroyed. Faced with this situation, the defense and security forces dispatched to the scene had to use tear gas grenades to end the riot. Confronted with the Public Order Forces who came to restore public order, the assailants retreated in a scattered manner. The situation was quickly under control. A member of the defense and security forces and a civilian were injured according to the preliminary report. In the afternoon, calm was restored. The chaos caused a disruption in traffic at the time of the events. Military authorities had to intervene to end it. Cyclo-pousse riders involved in yesterday’s clashes claim that the tension with certain elements of the municipality has been ongoing for some time. Visibly, the problem has not been resolved, leading to yesterday’s altercations. In the light of the latest information provided, discussions have been initiated and measures are being implemented to resolve the issue that divides the two camps.

Andry Manase