ANTANANARIVO: The streets were largely deserted in Madagascar’s capital Friday as residents took stock of the damage from a day of violent protests over frequent power cuts and water shortages.
The protest in Antananarivo, led by hundreds of mostly young demonstrators, was met with a heavy police response, with rubber bullets and tear gas used to disperse the crowd.
The rampage continued after nightfall, prompting police to impose a dusk-to-dawn curfew after banks and stores were looted and set on fire. Homes of three pro-government parliamentarians were also torched.
A station of the city’s new cable car system — one of the government’s flagship infrastructure projects — was also set on fire.
Five protesters were killed in the violence, a hospital source said. AFP has not been able to verify the toll from official sources.
Stunned residents — some in tears — assessed the damage Friday morning, an AFP journalist at the scene saw.
A police presence was limited to the city’s main central square unlike Thursday when security forces patrolled the city to block demonstrators from gathering.
Traffic resumed in the city center in the morning, though volumes remained below normal levels.
While the situation appeared calm downtown, reports of looting continued in a commercial district on the outskirts of Antananarivo.
Protesters have voiced anger over persistent water and power cuts, which often leave homes and businesses without electricity for over 12 hours each day across the country.
The Indian Ocean island is one of the poorest countries in the world despite being the leading producer of vanilla, one of the most expensive spices after saffron.
Some people accuse the government of President Andry Rajoelina of failing to improve living conditions.
Rajoelina, 51, was re-elected late last year for a third term in a vote boycotted by the opposition and with less than half of registered voters participating.
He first came to power in 2009, leading a popular movement and benefiting from a coup that ousted former president Marc Ravalomanana.
After not contesting the 2013 election due to international pressure, he was voted back into office in 2018.
Madagascar capital deserted after violent protests
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Madagascar capital deserted after violent protests
- The streets were largely deserted in Madagascar’s capital Friday as residents took stock of the damage from a day of violent protests over frequent power cuts and water shortages
‘Solar sheep’ help rural Australia go green
- The panels have had another surprising side effect: Because the grass is shielded from the elements, it’s of more consistent quality
DUBBO: Australian farmer Tom Warren’s solar panels look like any other — until you spot the dozens of sheep grazing and napping, helping the country transition to green energy and earning him a decent income while doing it.
More than 30,000 solar panels are deployed across approximately 50 hectares at Warren’s farm on the outskirts of Dubbo, around 400 kilometers west of Sydney.
The farmer and landowner has been working with renewables firm Neoen for more than a decade and said he was initially worried the panels would restrict his sheep’s grazing.
It quickly became clear those fears were unfounded.
“Normally they would seek out trees and camp under the trees, but you can see that the sheep are seeking out the shade of the panels,” he told AFP at the farm in Dubbo.
“So, it’s a much better environment for them as well.”
The farm produces about 20 megawatts of power, he said — a “substantial amount” of the energy needs of the local area.
While he can’t disclose how much he earns from the panels, he said he’s taking in much more than he would from just farming.
“The solar farm income is greater than I would ever get off agriculture in this area — regardless of whether I have sheep running under the panels or not,” he said.
The panels have had another surprising side effect: Because the grass is shielded from the elements, it’s of more consistent quality.
That, in turn, has improved the wool produced by the sheep.
“The wool is actually better and cleaner,” Warren said.
“All over, we’ve had about a 15 percent increase in the gross revenue coming from the sheep running under the solar farm.”
Fellow farmer Tony Inder, based around 50 kilometers south in the town of Wellington, agrees.
His flock is much larger — 6,000 sheep grazing on two plots of land covering 4,000 hectares.
