Remenabila, the wanted ghost’ head is worth the amount of 120 zebus

The army’s joint staff would reward the capture of Remenabila with MGA 120 billions. Any information or tip directly leading to the capture of Madagascar’s most wanted man would be rewarded with MGA 20 billions. So, MGA 100 billions to those, who would eventually successfully capture him… late alteration… dead or alive.

But who will be able to bring Remenabila down? General Manakay and 200 of his soldiers were not, in spite of their alleged great experience in such kind of operation. The General could nothing else but calling the Dahalo leader names and daring him to come and fight. Actually an unfair assertion, is it? They actually achieved far more than that: they burnt dozens of villages to the ground for suspecting them to serve the wanted figure’s band as support base. General Manakay did not skirt around the issue. It would be, according to him, the standard way to crackdown on the enemy’s resistance. Down with diversions; the military operation is a failure

The defense department does not mean the same at all. Rewards would serve as a motivation for every force potentially capable of catching the bad guys. The army’s units in action are consequently either not enough motivated, or not capable at all. Remenabila’s militia of some 300 men might well be hard to localize, but it is definitely not roaming through an area the size of Siberia, is it?

The Search and Destroy forces have to deal with the famous “Kizo”, the southern wide range of cliffs and narrow passes, as much a sanctuary for Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan as for Dahalo outlaws in Madagascar. Still the Dahalo have an advantage compared to the Afghan insurgents: forests do cover their retreat, the army does not know these Kizo and did not seal the maze either.

A Remenabila is a red skinned zebu with contorted horns. The reward for the outlaw’s head equals the price of 100 to 120 of them. Getting his scalp this way would eventually involve some very unlikely betrayal. A tip concerning his lair is far more conceivable. Anyway, the security forces have no interest in catching him alive no more: they do want him but dead. 120 billions would equally be quite a seducing incentive for a potential unexpected ally likely to be far more efficient than the green machine.

The alternate script would cast another Dahalo militia potentially turning against Remenabila’s band. Why not then? Raids launched throughout the Anosy and Atsimo Antsinanana regions actually do reflect internal rivalries, legacy of previous tribal wars. Far less than 120 billions have long been proving enough to unearth the war axe.

Besides, the defense department called upon the southern population to actively contribute to capture of Remenabila.  General Manakay regretted that some communal capital towns failed from repelling the Dahalo, whereas lots of isolated Fokontany did not capitulate.

Will the four southern regions really send 4000 of their men track down and challenge Remenabila? The army was outwitted by one militia. Shall it possibly cope with the wide blood bath subsequent to such a conflict? Maybe the finance department should have used the reward to boost its own armed forces and not trigger a dangerously escalating situation