In Madagascar, the shooting of Ikongo begins to make people react publicly. Former President Marc Ravalomanana denounced the massacre and what he believed to mean “state terrorism”. The Minister of Defense and reinforcements from the gendarmerie are still present in the city.
With our correspondent in Antananarivo, Laura Verneau
Marc Ravalomanana, former head of state and main opposition leader reacted on Tuesday evening to the drama of Ikongo. During a televised intervention, he denounced a crisis and a “ state terrorism “. According to him, the shooting shows the loss of confidence of the population towards the rulers and justice. The Albinos Madagascar association is calling on the government this Wednesday morning to take “ exceptional measures given the scale of the situation “. Since 2020, Madagascar has recorded 118 cases of abductions, 22 of which concerned people with albinism, according to the United Nations.
On site in Ikongo, General Richard Rakotonirina, Minister of Defence, coordinates the evacuation of wounded. ” We must open an investigation. Is it a burr or an overflow ? “, he said Tuesday. He adds that “ it is necessary to decide the responsibilities and that the necessary sanctions will be taken “. It is the gendarmerie who will investigate the shooting themselves.
The army mobilized to help
The Minister added that he had visited the wounded still hospitalized. The army also delivered medicines, blankets and blood pads to the overwhelmed city hospital. The third and last delivery took place this morning, by helicopter to Ifanadiana hospital, about a hundred kilometers away. In all, ten patients have been between life and death since the shooting, according to the hospital’s chief doctor.
For their part, the city’s gendarmes are still on the run, but the police have no information on their places of refuge, nor on the suspects sought by the population at this stage. They were about fifteen gendarmes to have fired on a crowd of 500 people, according to the testimony of a gendarme involved himself in the shooting and contacted on the day of the tragedy. The toll is still 19 dead and around 30 wounded, some of whom were evacuated at midday.
The soldiers sent as reinforcements are still patrolling the city where life has resumed, according to local testimonies.
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