Madagascan Army Split With Officers Supporting Opposition Leader

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, March 08, 2002

Madagascan Army Split With Officers Supporting Opposition Leader

The army of Madagascar have split as some officers expressed their support to self-declared president Marc Ravalomanana on Thursday.

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The army of Madagascar have split as some officers expressed their support to self-declared president Marc Ravalomanana on Thursday.

The officers, including 20 generals, said that they would be united with Ravalomanana and his parallel "government."

However, Ravalomanana's defense minister General Jules Mamizara has appealed to the army to be united.

Meanwhile, incumbent President Didier Ratsiraka's army chief of staff, General Ismael Mounibou, also called on the army to be calm, warning that a split military would lead to civil war.

A delegation from the Organization of African Unity (OAU) were in the Indian Ocean island country to mediate between President Ratsiraka and Ravalomanana over their dispute on the presidential election held in last December.

They have held talks with both sides respectively since their arrival on Wednesday.

Due to the crisis erupted from the dispute, President Ratsiraka declared a state of martial law in the capital city of Tananarive last Thursday.

The international community has urged the both sides to return to talks and call for a second round of elections on March 24 that is ordered by Madagascar's High Constitutional Court.

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