The Malagasy prosecutor’s office announced to have foiled an assassination attempt of the president of the Republic Andry Rajoelina, and arrested several persons “foreign and Malagasy”.
Among those arrested are two French nationals, a diplomatic source said on Thursday.
“Several foreign and Malagasy nationals were arrested on Tuesday as part of an investigation into an attack on state security,” Attorney General Berthine Razafiarivony told reporters on Wednesday evening.
“According to the material evidence in our possession, these individuals have devised a plan to eliminate and neutralize various Malagasy personalities, including the Head of State,” the prosecutor added, without further detailing either the evidence or the circumstances of these arrests.
“At this stage of the investigation, which is ongoing, the Public Prosecutor’s Office assures that all light will be shed on this case,” she added.
The Malagasy news agency Taratra said that the two Frenchmen arrested, Philippe F. and Paul R., were former retired officers.
During the celebration of Madagascar’s Independence Day on June 26, the gendarmerie had already announced that it had foiled an assassination attempt on the Secretary of State in charge of the gendarmerie, the President’s right-hand man, General Richard Ravalomanana.
One of the poorest countries in the world, Madagascar has experienced many serious political crises over the past 20 years. The island has been in a virtual lockdown since the Covid-19 pandemic outburst, and famine is currently hitting a region in the south of the country with full force.