The assassination attempt, the military and the organiser’s escape: what is happening in Madagascar
Bloomberg reports this, citing a statement by prosecutor Narindra Navalona Rakotonihina, which was broadcast on television.
The prosecutor stated that 13 people are accused of plotting the assassination of President Michael Randrianirina and other crimes. According to her, 11 suspects are already in custody. She named Army Colonel Patrick Rakotomamondzi, who has not yet been arrested, as one of the main organisers.
According to the prosecution, military personnel are also involved in the case. Rakotoniana stated that those implicated include, in particular, a general who had previously publicly expressed his willingness to carry out a coup d’état, though she did not name him.
The context of this case is directly linked to the political crisis on the island following the October coup. Randrianirina, an army colonel, came to power after the military took control of the country and the then-president, Andry Rajoelina, fled amid impeachment proceedings and protests triggered by water and electricity shortages.
Following the change of power, Madagascar’s new leadership received assistance from Russia to protect the president. Bloomberg reports that this involves the supply of weapons to the presidential guard, as well as the deployment of a contingent of Russian troops on the island.
The prosecution attributes a specific role in this story to Patrick Rakotomamondja. Bloomberg notes that he was a public critic of corruption during Rajoelina’s rule, received a 20-year prison sentence in a case involving a Molotov cocktail attack on a prominent businessman, escaped from custody, and after the coup was appointed to a post in the presidential administration. He was subsequently dismissed, after which he disappeared and began posting videos on social media containing threats against Randrianirina and accusations of corruption.
On 28 March, during a meeting with the Malagasy diaspora in Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea, Randrianirina stated that he and his wife had become the targets of a plot to murder them. At the time, he confirmed that suspects had already been arrested in connection with the case, but did not disclose any details.
According to the prosecutor, the evidence in the case consists of text messages and WhatsApp correspondence between members of the group. Law enforcement officers also carried out searches at the homes of some of the suspects. She added that some of those detained had admitted that the 20 billion ariary found in their bank accounts were intended to fund this plan. This amounts to approximately $4.8 million. The case
itself served as yet another sign of instability within Madagascar’s new government. Just a few weeks earlier, Randrianirina had already dissolved the government, and his decision to subject new ministers to polygraph tests sparked a fresh wave of debate about the state of the government following the coup.
It should be noted that Beijing believes the war against Iran has not shifted the balance of power in the US’s favour and regards it as a strategic mistake. The Chinese authorities are deliberately refraining from intervening in the conflict.
