President's men keep roadblocks

Madagascan peace pact at risk

AFP - 24.04.2002

ANTANANARIVVO, (AFP) - Hopes for an end to months of political chaos in Madagascar have been dampened by the refusal of hardline supporters of President Didier Ratsiraka to comply with a key provision of a reconciliation accord.

Late on Monday, provincial governors loyal to Ratsiraka said they would not remove roadblocks on routes to the capital, Antananarivo, a stronghold of self-declared president Marc Ravalomanana, until he dismantled his parallel government.

Ratsiraka and Ravalomanana signed a pact in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, last Thursday agreeing to a recount of a disputed December presidential vote at the root of the current crisis and for an internationally supervised referendum if no clear winner emerged.

Under the deal, Ratsiraka also agreed to have his supporters immediately raise their blockade of the highland capital.

"I hope Didier Ratsiraka is aware of the governors' decision because otherwise this is very, very dangerous as it means he no longer controls his troops," one of Ratsiraka's closest aides told Nampa-AFP.

Others Ratsiraka supporters said they felt betrayed by their leader's decision to sign the Dakar deal.

Last Friday, Ravalomanana's "prime minister", Jacques Sylla, said he might consider the Dakar accord null and void if the roadblocks were not removed within "a few days".

On Tuesday his "government" said it would conscientiously respect the pact and only manage day-to-day administrative affairs until the official results of the vote recount were announced.

"We will not take any more important decisions until the results are announced. We will stick to dispatching day-to-day business," an aide to Sylla told Nampa-AFP.

"We should avoid provocation, respect the letter of the agreement, show wisdom and maintain the status quo until we get the official results," Ravalomamana, the popular mayor of Antananarivo, told Nampa-AFP.

One of Ravalomanana's associates said he would not seek to replace the regional governors loyal to Ratsiraka -- five of the six in the country -- before the results were published.

But he insisted on the urgency of an "immediate end to the roadblocks", which have for two months starved Antananarivo of fuel and other vital supplies.

Foreign observers and diplomats predicted on Tuesday that some Ratsiraka loyalists would hang on to the bitter end.

"Among the governors, there are at least two who will go all the way," one foreign Madagascar-watcher said.

"There are extremists who are organising resistance to the (Dakar) accord," agreed a diplomat.

Local independent journalists pointed out that many in Ratsiraka's camp, including his relatives and ministers, had a lot to lose if Ravalomanana emerged victorious.

"They are playing with fire and that can be dangerous when people have have been through months of deprivation because of the shortages brought about by the roadblocks," warned one diplomat.

Ratsiraka, who has ruled Madagascar for all but five years since a coup in 1975, was challenged in December's presidential poll by Ravalomanana.

Official results put Ravalomanana slightly ahead of Ratsiraka but gave neither an absolute majority.

Ravalomanana said the figures were rigged and demanded a recount, which was refused. In February he proclaimed himself president and set up an alternative administration in the capital.

In response, Ratsiraka's backers set up roadblocks around Antananarivo.

Over the weekend, the governor of northwestern Mahajanga province removed the main roadblock on the route into Antanananarivo.

But several sources said he had the roadblock put back on Monday, following pressure from other governors.

There has been no word from Ratsiraka, who is currently in France, since the Dakar deal was signed.

"Perhaps Ratsiraka is behind the governors' decision, to keep the pressure on his rival until he returns to the country at the weekend and, above all, until an Organisation of African Unity team arrives to follow up on the accord next week," commented one foreign analyst.

"He is certainly behind it. It is a tactical game, but the situation is explosive because there are also hardliners in the other camp ready to turn up the heat," warned another observer.