ANTANANARIVO: A Madagascar army contingent near the capital on Saturday called on soldiers and security units to “join forces” and “refuse orders to shoot” at protesters, while several thousand marched in the capital.
The United Nations on Friday called on the Madagascar authorities to avoid unnecessary force against protesters, after several were injured in clashes with police the day before.
“Let us join forces, military, gendarmes and police, and refuse to be paid to shoot our friends, our brothers and our sisters,” soldiers of a large military base in Soanierana district, on the outskirts of Antananarivo, said in a video released Saturday morning.
They called on soldiers in other camps to “refuse orders to shoot your friends.”
“Close the gates and await our instructions,” they said. “Do not obey orders from your superiors. Point your weapons at those who order you to fire on your comrades-in-arms, because they will not take care of our families if we die.”
It was unclear how many soldiers had joined the call on Saturday.
In 2009, the military base in Soanierana led a mutiny in a popular uprising that brought the current president, Andry Rajoelina, to power.
The newly appointed minister of the armed forces called on troops to “remain calm” in a press conference Saturday.
“We call on our brothers who disagree with us to prioritize dialogue,” Minister General Deramasinjaka Manantsoa Rakotoarivelo said.
“The Malagasy army remains a mediator and constitutes the nation’s last line of defense,” he said.
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Madagascar army contingent calls on security forces to ‘refuse orders’
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Madagascar army contingent calls on security forces to ‘refuse orders’
- “Let us join forces, military, gendarmes and police, and refuse to be paid to shoot our friends, our brothers and our sisters,” soldiers said in a video
- They called on soldiers in other camps to “refuse orders to shoot your friends“
Five Indian nationals kidnapped in Mali
The workers were kidnapped Thursday by gunmen near Kobri, in western Mali
No group has claimed the kidnappings so far
DAKAR: Gunmen have kidnapped five Indian nationals in Mali, their company and a security source said Friday, as the west African country reels from mounting unrest and militant violence.
The workers were kidnapped Thursday by gunmen near Kobri, in western Mali, the security source told AFP on condition of anonymity, saying they were employed by a company that is working on electrification projects.
“We confirm the kidnapping of five Indian nationals,” a company representative told AFP.
“The other Indians working for the company have been evacuated to Bamako,” the capital, he added.
No group has claimed the kidnappings so far.
Mali, currently ruled by a military junta, has been struggling to contain surging unrest blamed on criminal groups and militants linked to Al-Qaeda and the Daesh group.
The security situation has exacerbated an economic crisis in the impoverished country, where the Al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) has imposed a suffocating fuel blockade.
Kidnappings targeting foreigners are common in the country, which has been plagued by coups and conflicts since 2012.
JNIM militants kidnapped two Emirati nationals and an Iranian near Bamako in September.
The victims were released last week for a ransom of at least $50 million, according to sources close to the negotiations.
No group has claimed the kidnappings so far
DAKAR: Gunmen have kidnapped five Indian nationals in Mali, their company and a security source said Friday, as the west African country reels from mounting unrest and militant violence.
The workers were kidnapped Thursday by gunmen near Kobri, in western Mali, the security source told AFP on condition of anonymity, saying they were employed by a company that is working on electrification projects.
“We confirm the kidnapping of five Indian nationals,” a company representative told AFP.
“The other Indians working for the company have been evacuated to Bamako,” the capital, he added.
No group has claimed the kidnappings so far.
Mali, currently ruled by a military junta, has been struggling to contain surging unrest blamed on criminal groups and militants linked to Al-Qaeda and the Daesh group.
The security situation has exacerbated an economic crisis in the impoverished country, where the Al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) has imposed a suffocating fuel blockade.
Kidnappings targeting foreigners are common in the country, which has been plagued by coups and conflicts since 2012.
JNIM militants kidnapped two Emirati nationals and an Iranian near Bamako in September.
The victims were released last week for a ransom of at least $50 million, according to sources close to the negotiations.
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