Army on alert and curfew in effect in Antananarivo
After two days of violence and looting by angry opposition members, the streets of Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo, were quiet on Wednesday as the army patrolled the streets. The riots began when demonstrators set alight a state-owned television station and continued through the night as numerous shops and businesses were looted and set alight. Reports of the death toll from the violence range between 27 and 40. Late on Tuesday firefighters found the charred corpses of at least 25 suspected looters (some reports say as many as 37). Two others were killed in clashes with police.
According to reports by both the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the US Embassy in Antananarivo, the local police on Tuesday announced a curfew between the hours of 21h00 and 04h00, with immediate effect. Both the FCO and the US are advising their citizens to exercise caution when travelling to the city, to abide by the curfew and to avoid any mobs, demonstrations or political gatherings.
The unrest, which comes in the wake of last week’s cyclones, is damaging the island nation’s image as a tourist destination and foreign investment option.
