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President Andrey Rojoelina removed his energy minister in a bid to quell the protests that have seen police fired teargas and rubber bullets at demonstrators. At least five people have been killed.
Protest organizers in Madagascar are calling for peaceful demonstrations to continue despite the dismissal of the country’s energy minister. The African island nation has seen days of protests over persistent water and energy blackouts.
On Friday, President Andrey Rojoelina removed his energy minister in a bid to quell the protests that have seen police fired teargas and rubber bullets at demonstrators. At least five people have been killed. Businesses in the capital Antananarivo have seen widespread looting.The demonstrations have been led by students and young workers frustrated by the lack of services.
Protesters say the security forces are repressing the population instead of protecting them from looters. On Friday, some of them came out to help clean up the wreckage.
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President Rojoelina has branded the protests “acts of de-stabilitzation” and a “coup d’etat” but says he’s seeking solutions to the blackouts. Authorities have imposed an overnight curfew but protests are expected to continue over the coming days.
