Madagascar General Assassinated in Hospital Bed

17.04.2002 By Honore Razafintsalama

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (Reuters) - Gunmen assassinated a Madagascan general in his hospital bed after he was wounded in the first firefight between soldiers since the island's leadership crisis began in January, hospital sources said on Wednesday.

The latest violence came as African leaders held separate meetings in Senegal with embattled Madagascan President Didier Ratsiraka and self-declared ruler Marc Ravalomanana, hoping to staunch worsening bloodshed on the giant Indian Ocean isle.

Three masked assassins shot General Raymond Andrianaivo seven times in a hospital ward in the town of Fianarantsoa, where he was being treated after being shot in a firefight on Tuesday between two military convoys, the sources said.

Witnesses said it was unclear why members of Andrianaivo's convoy exchanged fire with soldiers from a second group of military vehicles which had been sent to help Andrianiavo's men. One of Andrianaivo's men, Lieutenant-Colonel Jean-Baptiste Rasolofo, was killed in the firefight, witnesses said.

The army on the island of 15 million is divided between supporters of Ratsiraka, a former admiral, and Ravalomanana, a millionaire mayor who accuses the government of rigging December 16 polls.

Analysts have warned the island risks sinking into deeper bloodshed if members of the armed forces turn their guns on each other. The last time members of the armed forces clashed was in 1975.

More than 35 people have been killed in clashes involving rival protesters and security forces since the crisis began in early January.

Earlier Tuesday, Andrianaivo's men shot dead two women protesters at a barricade erected outside the town by supporters of Ravalomanana, witnesses said.

State radio reported that another civilian was killed early Wednesday when a military vehicle smashed through a blockade near Fianarantsoa, which lies about 185 miles south of the capital Antananarivo.

TALKS IN SENEGAL

The clashes took place as African leaders attempted to mediate a solution, holding overnight meetings with Ratsiraka and Ravalomanana in Senegal.

It was uncertain if the rivals would meet face to face at the talks in the capital Dakar.

"I came to meet with my counterparts -- they listened to what I had to say," Ratsiraka told reporters after meeting at a Dakar hotel with the leaders of Senegal, Mozambique, Ivory Coast and Benin, and Amara Essy, secretary-general of the Organization for African Unity (OAU), which has spearheaded peace efforts to date.

"It's not yet finished, but it's well on the way," said Ravalomanana after meeting the same group. Both meetings lasted over an hour and more contacts were expected later Wednesday.

After arriving Tuesday, both had reaffirmed their claims to be rightful ruler of Madagascar, which has been in turmoil since a disputed presidential election in December.

New violence was reported even as the two rivals headed for Senegal, with Radio Madagascar reporting that houses and cars belonging to Ratsiraka backers were set ablaze Tuesday in Antsirabe, a town some 170 km (105 miles) south of the capital.

Ravalomanana controls the capital and has appointed his own cabinet. Ratsiraka has kept out of the public gaze in recent weeks, while his loyalists have blockaded the capital.