Tanzania Madagascar Talks

 ARUSHA, Tanzania (AP) - Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina is wrapping up two-days of talks in Tanzania that are aimed at breaking a three-year political stalemate in the Indian Ocean island country.

 The visit comes days after deposed Madagascar leader Marc Ravalomanana said in Tanzania he won't try to stand in next year's elections. Ravalomanana was ousted in a coup in March 2009.

 Tanzania's Foreign Minister Bernard Membe said he is optimistic the Friday and Saturday talks between Tanzania President Jakaya Kikwete and Rajoelina will lead to a "positive settlement." Kikwete heads a southern block of African nations known as the SADC and has been tasked with finding a solution to Madagascar's political troubles.

   Membe said any political agreements should include a general amnesty for domestic and external opponents of Rajoelina.

President Jakaya Kikwete and Transitional President of Madagascar Andry Rajoelina

COMMUNIQUE OF THE MEETING BETWEEN H.E. DR. JAKAYA MRISHO KIKWETE, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA AND H.E. ANDRY RAJOELINA, TRANSITIONAL PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF MADAGASCAR

14^TH DECEMBER 2012

1.     At the invitation of H.E. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, President of the United Republic of Tanzania and the current Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defense and Security Cooperation, H.E. Andry Rajoelina, President of the Transitional Government of the Republic of Madagascar paid a two-day working visit to Tanzania from 14^th to 15^th December 2012.

2.     The invitation was in response to the conclusions of the SADC Extra-Ordinary Summit held on 8^th December 2012 in Dar es Salaam, which mandated the Organ Chairperson to brief and hold consultations with H.E. Andry Rajoelina, President of the Transitional Government and H.E. Marc Ravalomanana, former President of Madagascar with regards to the political situation in Madagascar.

3.     It should be recalled that on 10^th December 2012, President Kikwete in his capacity as the Chairperson of the SADC Organ met in Dar es Salaam with former President Marc Ravalomanana to discuss decisions of the SADC Summit.

4.     On 11^th December 2012, H,E. Ravalomanana and his host, President Kikwete held a joint Press Conference where he officially announced his decision not to contest in the forthcoming Presidential Elections.

5.      On 14^th December 2012, President Kikwete and H.E. Rajoelina held in-depth discussions on the conclusions of the Dar es Salaam SADC Summit. The talks were held in a cordial and friendly atmosphere and significant progress has been made. The two leaders agreed to have further consultations with relevant stakeholders prior to meeting again before the end of the month to conclude on the matter.

6.     President Rajoelina thanked his host President Kikwete for the warm hospitality accorded to him and his delegation. He further congratulated the SADC Summit for re-affirming the dates for the elections and for calling the respective parties to respect the same. He also expressed appreciation for SADC’s commitment to mobilize financial resources and logistical support from the International Community.

………………………………………..     …………………………………

Amb. Liberata Mulamula                                      Ms. Annick Rajoana

Senior Personal Assistant to the President          Spokesperson the Transitional

United Republic of Tanzania                                 President of the Republic of Madagascar

Done at Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania

14^th December 2012.

Coup Attempt in Madagascar

Wanajeshi wamejaribu kupindua serikali ya Madagascar! Hawakufanikiwa!

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ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) - A group of dissident officers was reported ready to surrender Saturday after attempting to seize power earlier in the week, but junior officers resisted and gunfire rang out during negotiations aimed at defusing a volatile impasse.

Reporters had seen hundreds of soldiers loyal to this Indian Ocean island's High Transitional Authority - the internationally isolated government formed by a politician who seized power with the military's backing last year - converge on a base near the capital's airport. Mutinous officers have been holed up at the base since Wednesday. Officials had said talks were planned, but shots could be heard inside the base.

Col. Julien Ravelomihary, a high-ranking member of the High Transitional Authority's military, told reporters the mutinous officers "are ready to hand themselves over, but junior officers are resisting."

The group of officers declared Wednesday they were taking over from Andry Rajoelina. Western powers and Madagascar's African neighbors have accused Rajoelina of trampling on democracy, and some in the military have grown disenchanted with him in recent months.

Earlier Saturday, police had fired tear gas to break up a crowd of several hundred anti-Rajoelina demonstrators in central Antananarivo.

Saturday's protest was led by a mayors' organization that seeks a negotiated resolution to the crisis. Police said they arrested the group's leader. No injuries were reported.

The protesting mayors say they also oppose an electoral plan imposed by Rajoelina. Wednesday's coup attempt came amid a nationwide vote on Rajoelina's proposed constitution. The vote went ahead, and incomplete results put the 'yes' vote well ahead.

Rais Mpya wa Madagascar

Rais mpya wa Madagascar ni Andry Rajoelina. Ana miaka 34 tu, hivyo ni mdogo kuliko marais wote wa Afrika. Katiba wa Madagascar inasema kuwa lazima rais awe na miaka 41 au zaidi. Alitwaa madaraka kutoka kwa Marc Ravalomanana ambaye alipinduliwa na jeshi la nchi hiyo wiki iliyopita.

Kusoma habari zaidi bofya chini.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7956496.stm

Coup D'Etat Madagascar?

Wadau, mliokuwepo miaka ya 60, 70 na 80 mnakumbuka mara kwa mara unaamka na kusikia coup imetokea nchi fulani na fulani. Na baada ya muda tena unaweza kusikia yule aliyepindua, kapinduliwa.

Leo, kuna habari kuwa huko Madadgascar aliyekuwa meya wa mji mkuu wa taifa hilo, Antananarivo, amepindua serikali na kuwa rais! Heh!

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By JEROME DELAY
Associated Press Writer

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) -- The mayor of Madagascar's capital said he was in charge of the country Saturday after a week of violent protests that left 43 dead but there were no indications that his claims of taking over the government were true.
There was no immediate comment from President Marc Ravalomanana, but a government news conference was expected later in the day.
Mayor Andry Rajoelina, who has grown increasingly critical of Ravalomanana and has called for him to stand down, addressed a crowd of about 4,500 people in the capital's main square.
"Until the establishment of a transitional government, it is me who gives the command," he said. "I send a call to the forces of law and order that it is me who gives the command."
Rajoelina has made similar claims in the last week, saying he is ready to take over an interim government. But the constitution requires a president be at least 40, and Rajoelina is 34.
The rally ended peacefully after some protesters threw stones at police in the morning. Police withdrew from the area and protesters set up a barricade of barrels and trash cans around the square.
Unrest began Monday when protesters set the government broadcasting complex ablaze, along with an oil depot, shopping mall and a private TV station linked to Ravalomanana.
The protests were sparked by the government's decision that day to close a radio station owned by Rajoelina. He accuses Ravalomanana's government of misspending funds and threatening democracy.
By Friday, the violence had subsided but a tense atmosphere remained on the streets of the capital.
Ravalomanana had said the government would crack down on those inciting violence, but later toned down his stance.
On Thursday, he made a conciliatory gesture and promised to put the mayor's radio station back on the air.
Western and African leaders have pressed the two men to resolve their differences.
Madagascar, off Africa's southeast coast, is known for its rare wildlife and eco-tourism -- but also for its history of political unrest and infighting. It is also one of Africa's poorest nations with more than half the population living on less than $1 per day.
Ravalomanana clashed with former President Didier Ratsiraka when both claimed the presidency after a disputed December 2001 election. After low-level fighting split the country between two governments, two capitals and two presidents, Ratsiraka fled to France in June 2002.
Ravalomanana won re-election in 2006, though two opposition candidates tried to challenge the validity of the vote.