Insecurity in the south: Andry Rajoelina, can he cope?

Andry Rajoelina has raised more questions than he provided answers to the population. Neither his intelligence services nor the police forces have succeeded in clearing up what is lurking behind this extraordinary outbreak of violence from zebu robbers. “How come do they have heavy weapons? Where do the Dahalo have such a top level fighting expertise? What is the purpose of this surge of violence? Who does support the Dahalo? Who is their mastermind? … “All of those were questions asked by a transitional leader to the affected population Betroka. In face of cameras, Andry Rajoelina does obviously not miss the opportunity to mention an argued political incentive beside the financial profit.

Act 2: the time to struggle back to its feet has come for a ruling power humiliated during the Act 1 by the failure of its forces against Remenabila, the suspected leader of the Dahalo militiamen. Some 600 billions Ariary were injected as contribution to the fight against this uncontrolled outbreak of violence in the south. Such a budget will certainly be likely to relieve the villagers so far forced to supply the campaigning soldiers with food.

Antananarivo responds with a major military operation. Some 200 items from the state police, the army and the national police are rallying Betroka. Fifty of them are stemming from elite forces, of which GSIS unit state policemen, SAG unit policemen, and the famous RFI special forces. Each of the security forces’ department sent a contribution from the capital city to the front lines.

“The Dahalo oppenent is actually as well armed as the security forces” accurately described Andry Rajoelina. The armed forces are now resorting to their wild card up their sleeves to defeat an enemy which avails. Remenabila’s militiamen and the other similar gangs roaming across the Anosy and Androy regions may expect to face up to rocket propelled grenades, machine guns and shrapnel blowing everything off inside a 35 yards wide perimeter. “We also have a helicopter permanently available on its bases in the South” proudly announced Andry Rajoelina.

More than three months after the parade inside the stadium in Mahamasina and hundreds of casualties, two helicopters are finally mobilized in the war against the Dahalo uprising. Neither of both choppers are gunship helicopters. Apart from their expected psychological effect, they are deemed to serve the collection of intelligence and the location of the opponent. The supreme leader of the armed forces “promised” to purchase a real gunship helicopter, and pleasantly recalled how judicious his choice to buy those ones was: “We were criticized for purchasing them. Today, the population is dying for the use of these helicopters for the recovery of security and not only for electoral purpose. “

Six months after the first attack, a genius finally inspired to Andry Rajoelina the brilliant idea of locating the stolen zebu and by the same way the Dahalo by using satellite images. To this end, the HAT will seek help from a far better off nation. “Even the helicopters will be equipped with satellites (Rajoelina dixit)!” Let us hope, he owes such a nonsense to his outbreak of enthusiasm.

The self proclaimed supreme leader of the armed forces put the head of the HAT’s private army in charge of the operation in Betroka. Andry Rajoelina removed the defeated general Manakay and puts his trust into Colonel René Lylison, praised as an expert of fights against Dahalo militia. The man actually has a certain reputation in dismantling Dahalo bands, although not the best one after the past clearance of a whole village which left no survivor among the local inhabitants.

´The reinforcements from Antananarivo warned all those potentially having relatives among the Dahalo to make them see reason while they still can. The retaliation is told to be an incoming masher. Out of unconsciousness or a deliberated provocation, a group of 6 Dahalo captured 8 zebus in a village located 5 miles away from Betroka, right after the arrival of Colonel Lylison’s forces.