Grumble in the ranks: The president of grouping of non-commissioned officers arrested

Mutiny at the gates: it is not a new scoop. The High Authority of Transition, however, strongly tackled the issue before dig comes to shovel.  

Very early on Monday morning December 28th, a group of soldier from the Support Regiment (local RAS), based not far from the defense ministry, turned out the first shot.. These non-commissioned officers called upon their brothers-in-arms to regroup and support the implementation of the Maputo and Addis-Ababa agreements. The reaction was quick to pop up from the HAT. 

The president of the association of Madagascar’s non-commissioned officers, master sergeant Daniel Ratsimihafindramanana, has been arrested, and is now being investigated by the state police. According to media groups close to the HAT, the non-commissioned officer would have, allegedly, distributed money to soldiers to support his cause.  

The RAS incident is an umpteenth sign of tension within the Malagasy army. Not that long ago, officers openly displayed some sort of reluctance to endorse the latest moves produced by the HAT. The political crisis would have taken a toll on the army’s ranks as well. Marc Ravalomanana’s fall in March 2009 originated from a mutiny started in the army. But a fringe of that same army decided to keep silent, but loyal to him. The first mobilization attempt failed, but there is no evidence at all that the situation is under control.