Mutiny broke out in a Madagascar military camp outside the capital Antananarivo on Sunday as the island’s opposition leader spent a second day in hiding after a crackdown on his anti-government movement.
Dissenting soldiers patrolled one of the main arterial roads heading out of the city toward the presidential palace after rumors that the presidential guard would attack Camp Capsat circulated.
A power struggle between the capital’s sacked mayor Andry Rajoelina and Madagascar President Marc Ravalomanana has ignited weeks of civil unrest, killing about 135 people and crippling the island’s US$390 million tourism sector.
“We are with the people. That is enough killing people like that. We will defend our camp from all attack,” said one soldier beside a roadblock, on condition of anonymity.
About 30 armed military personnel manned the road. Some 600 soldiers are based at Capsat — it is not known how many soldiers have mutinied in total.
Madagascar has opened its doors to major foreign multinationals including Rio Tinto and Sherritt International, which are looking to extract cobalt, nickel and Ilmenite.
Rajoelina, a former disc jockey turned firebrand politician, has accused Ravalomanana of being a dictator.
Critics label 34-year-old Rajoelina, who has pulled out of negotiations to resolve the deadlock, a maverick.
Analysts say the armed forces’ stance will be critical to the final outcome of the crisis. The army has earned a reputation for remaining neutral during previous crises on the politically volatile island.
The security forces killed at least 28 people early last month when opposition supporters marched on a second presidential palace in the city center. The military also regained control of several ministries seized by the opposition last month.
The military’s top brass have said they are “ready to fulfill their duties” if there is no political solution.
On Saturday, police fired tear gas to disperse anti-government protesters and Rajoelina said he had gone into hiding.
Officials would not confirm they want to arrest Rajoelina.
On Sunday, a number of rebelling soldiers, including officers, said they could not accept the killing of innocent civilians.
“We are going to prove we are not the killers of the Malagasy people,” another soldier said.
In a statement read on state TV, the director of presidential security said there would be no attack on the military camp.
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