Africa News
Several dead as soldiers fire at demos in Madagascar: reports
Apr 20, 2009, 16:41 GMT
Antananarivo - Madagascar government soldiers killed and wounded several persons Monday when they fired into a demonstration in the capital Antananarivo, the television broadcaster TVplus reported.
The report said that one of those killed was a policeman.
Unconfirmed media reports at the scen spoke of at least three persons killed and several others seriously wounded, as meanwhile several cars and a building were in flames.
The violence occured when some 10,000 demonstrators sought to march to the Senate building in Antananarivo in a march to protest against the shutdown of two radio stations.
Soldiers initially fired teargas into the demonstrations, but when demonstrators retaliated by hurling stones, the soldiers then fired with their weapons into the crowd, the reports said.
According to eyewitness accounts, the confrontation lasted several hours.
The violence is the latest incident in the months-long power struggle in which interim President Andry Rajoelina with the help of the military ousted his predecessor Marc Ravalomanana.
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