Insecurity as a threat to elections in the South of Madagascar

Taitsy Gilbert has recently visited the southern regions and returned with terrific testimonies including hostage takings, raids and lootings of cattle operated by the feared “Dahalo”. One these testimonies reports that one hundred of these Dahalo, most of them armed with AK-47 rifles, raided the population of a place called Magnevy on a large scale, and went away with more than 250 cattle heads. The report obviously wonders about where do the rifle guns normally owned and used by the armed forces only in Madagascar appear from. Another testimony collected by this southerner reports that the people of Amboasary do not trust the police forces no more, required them to leave then massively went down to the street and took roadside billboards to be dedicated to presidential candidates apart…as a way to make it clear how little the incoming elections mean to them compared to their daily security, according to Taitsy Gilbert. The reporter finally came to the conclusion that “no vote would possibly be decently casted in many areas of the South because of the very real dahalo threat.”