The tragedy occurred Friday morning in the commune of Ambolotarakely, in the district of Ankazobe, about a hundred kilometers northwest of the capital Antananarivo. Three injured residents were taken to hospital, according to the latest report from the national gendarmerie on Saturday evening. The latter set fire to houses in one of the hamlets of this commune, indicate the police.
With our correspondent in Antananarivo, Laetitia Bezain
It was around 7 a.m. when several dozen dahalos – bandits linked to the theft of zebus – attacked the isolated hamlet of Ambohitriniandriana and set two storey houses on fire, said a source in the Ministry of Defence. Residents had taken refuge there, according to certain sources within the police forces on the spot. But other sources explain that it was the criminals who forced the villagers to enter these homes before setting them on fire.
Many elements of the army and the gendarmerie were deployed on the spot yesterday. “ What happened here is very serious. The perpetrators of this vile crime will be tracked down and arrested. “said General Andry Rakotondrazaka, commander of the National Gendarmerie, in a video posted on the Facebook page of the latter. ” Those who committed this crime are people who live in this commune “says General Rakotondrazaka.
Research continues and investigations are underway to determine the ins and outs of this arson. It could be reprisals linked to rural banditry and the theft of zebus, said the Secretary of State for the Gendarmerie, General Serge Gellé.
The district of Ankazobe, regularly confronted with armed attacks, is classified as a red zone in terms of insecurity and zebu thefts.