Preparing to arrest Mr. Ratsiraka

Malagasy Authorities arrested two of Ratsiraka’s closest co-conspirators in Mahajanga over the weekend.
It involved former provincial governor, Etienne Razafindehibe, and former Sports Minister, Ndrianasolo.
According to former prime minister, Tantely Andrianarivo, these were major arrests.
Pursuant to these arrests, they uncovered a weapons depot.
The Malagasy Secret Service also questioned General Ramahatra, former prime minister, and military advisor to Ratsiraka.
They suspected him of arranging the second mercenary incident which originated in South Africa.

Following the Addis Ababa summit, Admiral Ratsiraka returned to his home town secretly, under the cover of darkness on Saturday night.
According unidentified sources, following the first botched mercenary incident which was thwarted in Dar es Salaam, the French Authorities asked Ratsiraka to return to Madagascar for further negotiation.
Meanwhile, the Malagasy Authorities prepared to arrest him.
President Ravalomanana’s spokesperson, Ramandimbilahatra, consider him a ‘criminal’, and pointed that he will be bought to court to answer for his crimes.

As he faced this reality which would have never crossed his mind during his 22 year tenure as president, Ratsiraka wondered, ‘how in the world is it possible that they would actually arrest me’.
It should be noted that a portion of his elite secret service security detail chose to remain with him in Toamasina, while the governmental forces closed in on the province.
For all practical purposes, pro-Ratsiraka supporters only control the city of Toamasina, and its surrounding area, as well as the outskirts of Antsiranana where a military offensive is underway.

Germain Rakotonirainy, MFM party second in command, and a pro-Ravalomanana supporter, deems that a reconciliation with Ratsiraka is no longer a viable alternative.
He angrily declared, ‘Ratsiraka has committed the ultimate unthinkable crime, when he hired complete foreigners to assassinate Malagasy fellow citizens’.

Translated by Jeanne Françoise Razanamiadana