“No to Dadis!” Under this slogan around 50.000 Guineans responded to the call for a pacific demonstration in Conakry on Monday 28 September. From different areas of the city and from the outskirts, people gathered in the Stade 28 Septembre -. named after the day of independence from France in 1958 - ignoring the interdiction of the military junta leading the country.
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Showing posts with label looting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label looting. Show all posts
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
Tiko
The Tiko agency, some months after the looting. People took every single stone (see older post to check how it was before).
L'agenzia Tiko rasa al suolo, dopo aver preso tutti i prodotti all'interno, poi il tetto, ogni singola pietra e' stata smontata (e apparentemente venduta). Qui c'e' la foto di com'era prima.
L'agenzia Tiko rasa al suolo, dopo aver preso tutti i prodotti all'interno, poi il tetto, ogni singola pietra e' stata smontata (e apparentemente venduta). Qui c'e' la foto di com'era prima.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Madagascar: Waiting and uncertainty follows “Red Saturday”
from http://www.afrika.no/Detailed/18010.html
By Venusia Vinciguerra and Lucien David (photo) for www. afrika.no in Madagascar | 03.03.2009
The Tiko stores are the property of Madagascar's president Ravalomanana. Many of them were looted during the unrest (Photo: Lucien David)
Antsirabe (Madagascar - Venusia Vinciguerra) - Uncertainty is now the most common feeling for the people living in Madagascar. The population, as well as the expatriates in the country, appears exhausted from the constant feeling that something big will soon happen, but then nothing seems to really happen.
Andry Rajoelina, former major of Antananarivo, proclaimed himself new head of state, and attempted to create a parallel administration and install his ministers into position. He started his “orange revolution” after president Ravalomanana closed his TV channel, VIVA TV, due to the broadcasting of an interview with the former president, Didier Ratsiraka.
The young Rajoelina called for a general strike in Antananarivo on January 26th, a strike that turned into a mass looting in the capital. The main factories and retails stores of Tiko, the president’s company, were attacked, robbed and destroyed. In addition, his TV and radio channels where destroyed, together with the national TV and radio channels, leaving most of Madagascar without broadcasts. The mass pillaging went on, destroying the few well functioning malls of the city, and emptying many rice storages, owned by privates. leaving the impression that the looting was not driven only by political intentions, but also by desperation or by opportunism.
The same escalation was witnessed the day after in other cities, as Antsirabe, Fianarantsoa, Mahajanga and Toliara, where Tiko storages and stores as well as rice reserves were emptied and vandalized. Looting continued over night between Tuesday 27th and Wednesday 28th. Reportedly about 100 people died or got injured, mostly due to accidents connected to the pillaging, while the army remained mostly an observer of the happenings. In Toliara there was a broad and massive participation, entire families carried as many rice bags as they could handle: on bikes, rickshaws, carts or on their shoulders. Also children were involved, and some made themselves thieves for a bag of orange juice, or for parts of broken toys. BIANCO, an anticorruption agency financed partly by Norway, was also vandalized: computers were stolen and sold, documents were thoroughly burned (!), and even windows, toilets, cables and roof’s components disappeared. The looting left the city of Toliara with a feeling of Wild West in the air. Stores remained closed for some days; especially those run by Indo-Pakistanis, who fear the anger of the Malagasy people against their commercial supremacy. Some goods are now scarce in the city: milk and butter, which are produced and distributed only by Tiko, but also oil is hard to find. Many foresee an increase of rice prices, the main staple for Malagasy people, and market prices for vegetables and fruits rose already.
Some weeks passed in uncertainty and apparent calmness, until Saturday 7th of February. Samedi Rouge (Red Saturday), as it is called by the Malagasy press, witnessed the shooting against the demonstrators who crossed the “red line” in front of the presidential palace in Antananarivo, making 28 victims (including a reporter), and numerous injured. A video reconstruction of the shooting is now being sold on DVDs and publicly screened in several Malagasy towns.
Ravalomanana did not recognize Rajoelina as a counterpart for negotiations in the beginning, and discharged and replaced him from his post as mayor of the capital. Predictably Rajoelina did not accept this decision, and went on to designate another replacement, leaving the city with two unelected mayors.
Finally on February 23rd, negotiations between Mark Ravalomanana and Andry Rajoelina started, with the assistance of representatives from the Council of Christian Churches in Madagascar (FFKM). Three meetings between the two contenders increased the hope for a peaceful solution. However, the hope diminished when the president did not personally attend the 4th meeting. Predictably Rajoelina declared the end of negotiations, and did not show up to the next meeting. Also the archbishop of Antananarivo, Odon Razanakolona, one of the facilitators, quit the negotiations, as he saw no developments. As a result, demonstration restarted, leading to two other fatalities in Fianarantsoa. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appointed the former foreign minister of Mali, Tiebilé Dramé, as facilitator, and asked the archbishop to rejoin the negotiations.
The consequences of this political instability are numerous. Among others, the crisis of the tourism market, with nearly 100% cancellations, and 50% workers sent home according to the FHORM (Fédération des hôteliers et restaurateurs de Madagascar), and the Malagasy National Tourism Office, who made an official declaration asking the parties to quickly find an agreement. Another immediate consequence is the delay of the start of the new university year, with even the risk of a year cancellation due to lack of security (L’express de Madagascar, 28.02.2009).
Many are tired of the president’s actions, denouncing him of focusing on his own interests over those of the population. At the same time, it is not clear if the young businessman and former DJ Rajoelina will be the answer. It seems like the ex-major will continue his efforts to remove the president; but after the last events in Antananarivo, his popularity seems uncertain. Many see in this situation a repetition of Ravalomanana’s struggle to take the power from Didier Ratsiraka in 2002. However, there is a core difference: in 2002 the two contenders where conflicting over a contested election, while Rajoelina’s current request is not related to any electoral event.
Finally, this contest involves two merinas (the ethnic group of the highlands), and might not seem a fair play to the coastal population, who would like to see their ethnicities well represented, maybe by a president.
Uncertainty spreads in Madagascar, people wait.
By Venusia Vinciguerra and Lucien David (photo) for www. afrika.no in Madagascar | 03.03.2009
The Tiko stores are the property of Madagascar's president Ravalomanana. Many of them were looted during the unrest (Photo: Lucien David)
Antsirabe (Madagascar - Venusia Vinciguerra) - Uncertainty is now the most common feeling for the people living in Madagascar. The population, as well as the expatriates in the country, appears exhausted from the constant feeling that something big will soon happen, but then nothing seems to really happen.
Andry Rajoelina, former major of Antananarivo, proclaimed himself new head of state, and attempted to create a parallel administration and install his ministers into position. He started his “orange revolution” after president Ravalomanana closed his TV channel, VIVA TV, due to the broadcasting of an interview with the former president, Didier Ratsiraka.
The young Rajoelina called for a general strike in Antananarivo on January 26th, a strike that turned into a mass looting in the capital. The main factories and retails stores of Tiko, the president’s company, were attacked, robbed and destroyed. In addition, his TV and radio channels where destroyed, together with the national TV and radio channels, leaving most of Madagascar without broadcasts. The mass pillaging went on, destroying the few well functioning malls of the city, and emptying many rice storages, owned by privates. leaving the impression that the looting was not driven only by political intentions, but also by desperation or by opportunism.
The same escalation was witnessed the day after in other cities, as Antsirabe, Fianarantsoa, Mahajanga and Toliara, where Tiko storages and stores as well as rice reserves were emptied and vandalized. Looting continued over night between Tuesday 27th and Wednesday 28th. Reportedly about 100 people died or got injured, mostly due to accidents connected to the pillaging, while the army remained mostly an observer of the happenings. In Toliara there was a broad and massive participation, entire families carried as many rice bags as they could handle: on bikes, rickshaws, carts or on their shoulders. Also children were involved, and some made themselves thieves for a bag of orange juice, or for parts of broken toys. BIANCO, an anticorruption agency financed partly by Norway, was also vandalized: computers were stolen and sold, documents were thoroughly burned (!), and even windows, toilets, cables and roof’s components disappeared. The looting left the city of Toliara with a feeling of Wild West in the air. Stores remained closed for some days; especially those run by Indo-Pakistanis, who fear the anger of the Malagasy people against their commercial supremacy. Some goods are now scarce in the city: milk and butter, which are produced and distributed only by Tiko, but also oil is hard to find. Many foresee an increase of rice prices, the main staple for Malagasy people, and market prices for vegetables and fruits rose already.
Some weeks passed in uncertainty and apparent calmness, until Saturday 7th of February. Samedi Rouge (Red Saturday), as it is called by the Malagasy press, witnessed the shooting against the demonstrators who crossed the “red line” in front of the presidential palace in Antananarivo, making 28 victims (including a reporter), and numerous injured. A video reconstruction of the shooting is now being sold on DVDs and publicly screened in several Malagasy towns.
Ravalomanana did not recognize Rajoelina as a counterpart for negotiations in the beginning, and discharged and replaced him from his post as mayor of the capital. Predictably Rajoelina did not accept this decision, and went on to designate another replacement, leaving the city with two unelected mayors.
Finally on February 23rd, negotiations between Mark Ravalomanana and Andry Rajoelina started, with the assistance of representatives from the Council of Christian Churches in Madagascar (FFKM). Three meetings between the two contenders increased the hope for a peaceful solution. However, the hope diminished when the president did not personally attend the 4th meeting. Predictably Rajoelina declared the end of negotiations, and did not show up to the next meeting. Also the archbishop of Antananarivo, Odon Razanakolona, one of the facilitators, quit the negotiations, as he saw no developments. As a result, demonstration restarted, leading to two other fatalities in Fianarantsoa. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appointed the former foreign minister of Mali, Tiebilé Dramé, as facilitator, and asked the archbishop to rejoin the negotiations.
The consequences of this political instability are numerous. Among others, the crisis of the tourism market, with nearly 100% cancellations, and 50% workers sent home according to the FHORM (Fédération des hôteliers et restaurateurs de Madagascar), and the Malagasy National Tourism Office, who made an official declaration asking the parties to quickly find an agreement. Another immediate consequence is the delay of the start of the new university year, with even the risk of a year cancellation due to lack of security (L’express de Madagascar, 28.02.2009).
Many are tired of the president’s actions, denouncing him of focusing on his own interests over those of the population. At the same time, it is not clear if the young businessman and former DJ Rajoelina will be the answer. It seems like the ex-major will continue his efforts to remove the president; but after the last events in Antananarivo, his popularity seems uncertain. Many see in this situation a repetition of Ravalomanana’s struggle to take the power from Didier Ratsiraka in 2002. However, there is a core difference: in 2002 the two contenders where conflicting over a contested election, while Rajoelina’s current request is not related to any electoral event.
Finally, this contest involves two merinas (the ethnic group of the highlands), and might not seem a fair play to the coastal population, who would like to see their ethnicities well represented, maybe by a president.
Uncertainty spreads in Madagascar, people wait.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Bad news from Toliara
First of all: me and Birger are in Atsirabe. We're 3h south of the capital, and many hours north of Toliara. Here is so far calm. We're at the Norwegian missionary station, and we feel safe.
Yesterday afternoon (12/02/09) I got a phone call from the Italian embassy, Pretoria, South Africa. They called me because they new I am in Antsirabe, and the told me to stay here and absolutely not go back to Toliara. While talking with them, I got an sms. It was from Christine, the director of the Alliance Françoise who lives in our building in Toliara. She wrote that: looting restarted, and they (her and her son) were stuck in their flat. Esterel, an Italian neighbour restaurant, ran by a couple of friends, was attacked the evening before. Worried I called one of the two owners of Esterel. Instead I got answered by another person who spoke first Malagasy and then French to me. I asked of my friend, and with a rather scary tone I was answered that he was my friend from now! So, I called the other restaurant owner. He answered. The evening before someone attacked the restaurant, and his colleague, with a gun at his head, was forced to give away all his stuff, including passport. They haven't made it home, but to a safe place nearby, where other people also gathered. He said that the people attacked the stores owned by the karana (the Indo-Pakistani) and that the army was trying to protect the stores in the centre, with shooting and grenades. They had no phone credits left, but they were in contact with the embassy in Pretoria. Then I called Christine, she was home with her son, understandably worried. Our building is practically empty, only her, her son and a German-French couple are there now. Furthermore, our landlord is a karana as well. Anyway, it should be a safe place. It is the first time we hear of a vazaha place being attacked, and we hope it will not continue. We hardly find news on the internet, but we hope the situation will soon calm down.
I repeat: here in Antsirabe is totally calm.
Update: I spoke with some people from Toliara this morning (13/02/09), it is calm now (11.30AM), people are out.
Italiano: Prima di tutto: io e Birger siamo in Antsirabe. A 3 ore a sud della capitale e molte ore a nord di Tolira. Qui tutto e’ calmo. Siamo alla missione norvegese, al sicuro.
Ieri pomeriggio (12/02/09) mi ha telefonato l’ambascita italiana da Pretoria, Sud Africa. Sapevano che siamo ad Ansirabe, e mi hanno detto di restare e assolutamente di non tornare a Toliara. Nello stesso momento ho sicevuto un sms di Christine, direttrice de l’Alliance Françoise che vive nel nostro stesso tabile a Toliara. L’sms diceva che: furti e sommosse reano ricominciate, che lei e suo figlio erano bloccati nell’apprtamento, e che l’Esterel un ristorante italiano gestito da amici che si trova di fronte a casa nostra era stato attaccato la sera prima. Preoccupata ho chimato uno dei due gestori, ma mi ha risposto qualcuno in malgascio prima ed in francese poi. Ho chiesto del nostro amico ma ho ricevuto una risposta sarcastica, che diceva che da ora era lui il nostro amico. Quindi ho chiamato l’altro collega, che ha risposto. Mi ha detto che la sera prima qualcuno ha attaccato il ristorante e il suo collega, che con una pistola puntata contro ha docuto consegnre tutto, persino il passaporto. Non sono poi riusciti a tornare a casa, ma hanno trovato riparo in un posto sicuro li vicino, insieme ad altre persone. Per telefono mi ha anche detto che la folla ha tentato di attaccare i negozi dei karana (Indo-Pakistani), ma che l’esercito provava a difenderli sparando colpi di fucile e granate. Mi ha poi detto che erano rimsti senza credito telefonico ma che erano in contatto con l’ambasciata. Ho quindi chimato Christine, che era a casa con suo figlio, e comprensibilmente preoccupta. Il nostro stabile e’ al momento praticmente vuoto, solo lei, suo figlio ed una coppia franco-tedesca e’ li adesso. E’ la prima volta che sentiamo di un’attivita’ vazaha attaccata, e speriamo non sia la prima di molte. Non troviamo news su internet, ma speriamo che la situazione si calmi.
Ripeto: ad Ansirabe e’ calmo.
Aggiornamento: Ho parlato con delle persone a Toliara questa mattina (13/02/09), tutto e’ calmo al momento (11.30AM), le persone circolano liberamete.
Yesterday afternoon (12/02/09) I got a phone call from the Italian embassy, Pretoria, South Africa. They called me because they new I am in Antsirabe, and the told me to stay here and absolutely not go back to Toliara. While talking with them, I got an sms. It was from Christine, the director of the Alliance Françoise who lives in our building in Toliara. She wrote that: looting restarted, and they (her and her son) were stuck in their flat. Esterel, an Italian neighbour restaurant, ran by a couple of friends, was attacked the evening before. Worried I called one of the two owners of Esterel. Instead I got answered by another person who spoke first Malagasy and then French to me. I asked of my friend, and with a rather scary tone I was answered that he was my friend from now! So, I called the other restaurant owner. He answered. The evening before someone attacked the restaurant, and his colleague, with a gun at his head, was forced to give away all his stuff, including passport. They haven't made it home, but to a safe place nearby, where other people also gathered. He said that the people attacked the stores owned by the karana (the Indo-Pakistani) and that the army was trying to protect the stores in the centre, with shooting and grenades. They had no phone credits left, but they were in contact with the embassy in Pretoria. Then I called Christine, she was home with her son, understandably worried. Our building is practically empty, only her, her son and a German-French couple are there now. Furthermore, our landlord is a karana as well. Anyway, it should be a safe place. It is the first time we hear of a vazaha place being attacked, and we hope it will not continue. We hardly find news on the internet, but we hope the situation will soon calm down.
I repeat: here in Antsirabe is totally calm.
Update: I spoke with some people from Toliara this morning (13/02/09), it is calm now (11.30AM), people are out.
Italiano: Prima di tutto: io e Birger siamo in Antsirabe. A 3 ore a sud della capitale e molte ore a nord di Tolira. Qui tutto e’ calmo. Siamo alla missione norvegese, al sicuro.
Ieri pomeriggio (12/02/09) mi ha telefonato l’ambascita italiana da Pretoria, Sud Africa. Sapevano che siamo ad Ansirabe, e mi hanno detto di restare e assolutamente di non tornare a Toliara. Nello stesso momento ho sicevuto un sms di Christine, direttrice de l’Alliance Françoise che vive nel nostro stesso tabile a Toliara. L’sms diceva che: furti e sommosse reano ricominciate, che lei e suo figlio erano bloccati nell’apprtamento, e che l’Esterel un ristorante italiano gestito da amici che si trova di fronte a casa nostra era stato attaccato la sera prima. Preoccupata ho chimato uno dei due gestori, ma mi ha risposto qualcuno in malgascio prima ed in francese poi. Ho chiesto del nostro amico ma ho ricevuto una risposta sarcastica, che diceva che da ora era lui il nostro amico. Quindi ho chiamato l’altro collega, che ha risposto. Mi ha detto che la sera prima qualcuno ha attaccato il ristorante e il suo collega, che con una pistola puntata contro ha docuto consegnre tutto, persino il passaporto. Non sono poi riusciti a tornare a casa, ma hanno trovato riparo in un posto sicuro li vicino, insieme ad altre persone. Per telefono mi ha anche detto che la folla ha tentato di attaccare i negozi dei karana (Indo-Pakistani), ma che l’esercito provava a difenderli sparando colpi di fucile e granate. Mi ha poi detto che erano rimsti senza credito telefonico ma che erano in contatto con l’ambasciata. Ho quindi chimato Christine, che era a casa con suo figlio, e comprensibilmente preoccupta. Il nostro stabile e’ al momento praticmente vuoto, solo lei, suo figlio ed una coppia franco-tedesca e’ li adesso. E’ la prima volta che sentiamo di un’attivita’ vazaha attaccata, e speriamo non sia la prima di molte. Non troviamo news su internet, ma speriamo che la situazione si calmi.
Ripeto: ad Ansirabe e’ calmo.
Aggiornamento: Ho parlato con delle persone a Toliara questa mattina (13/02/09), tutto e’ calmo al momento (11.30AM), le persone circolano liberamete.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Waiting for what may or may not happen
More than one week has passed since we witnessed the looting from our safe balcony and windows in Tulear. It has been a strange week. As the true humans we are, our biggest worries were related to ourselves, and the question if our friends (Børre, Annelise and Jan) would be able to come as planned in February. After a week where good and bad news have been replacing each other, it seems however that the country is calming down. However, it still has two people saying they are presidents, and the capital has two mayors. So, yesterday we had the great news that we will have guests in a few days. We will have to travel the almost 1000 km to Tana to receive them. We hope for a nice calm trip back down to Tulear, stopping at National parks and in interesting villages, far away from demonstrations and politics.
The TV-stations don’t broadcast in Tulear at the moment, and now that we are actually interested in the President’s whereabouts. The few radio stations that broadcast from Madagascar either play music or talk in Malagasy. RFI (Radio France International) is our best news source, but it also reports from the rest of the world, (quite annoying actually!) and it not always very detailed on the situation. And …in good French manner it decided to go on strike for a day!
Our other source of news is the “jungle telegraph”, and these days it is very active. To understand what’s going on you have to talk to a lot of people, and of course they are not all telling the same things, so you have to try to deduct your own truth from all the different facts and rumours you hear. After the looting in Tulear many people, including us, were worried for the demonstration that was announced for Saturday. Since the stores owned by the not always popular Indo-Pakistani population were left untouched on Tuesday, many people feared that we would see a new day of looting. Over a dinner at our French neighbours the other day, different scenarios were discussed, and we even speculated on a possible evacuation. The next day it seemed totally ridiculous, since Saturday passed without major happenings, and we enjoyed a day by the pool in a calm city.
Now it seems that a new demonstration is planned every second day. We’re getting used to them, also because they go on quite peacefully.
We hope that a solution to this political deadlock can be peacefully achieved, as we think that Madagascar needs some stability.
The following photos are form Lucien David, a university professor in Toliara and one of our host partners.
The 2 contenders: the ex-mayor of Tana on the left, and president Ravalomanana on the right, from a malagasy newspaper:
A bike loaded with rice during the looting in Toliara:
People pillaging a rice storage close to our house. To empty the storage people needed almost 24h, and several people got injured:
This is the Tiko agency in Toliara, now is nearly impossible to find butter or milk and other goods (as they were produced and distributed only by Tiko): 
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