Madagascar: arrest of 2 army officers for attempted coup d’état
According to information relayed by the Malagasy press on Tuesday, two army officers were arrested for attempted coup d’état. The suspects are now kept in Tsiafahy prison.
“Instigation of a military mutiny and attempted coup d’état”these are the accusations brought against the two officers arrested and kept in custody.
Its two senior army officers, whose identities have not been revealed, had the primary objective of convincing the main corps commanders of the army and the Analamanga gendarmerie to join them, then to resign the power in place and finally compromise the holding of the presidential election, according to Express de Madagascar which underlines that the timing chosen was the interim period after the resignation of the President-candidate, and before the presidential election.
Telephone conversations and compromising messages were found in their possession, according to the same source.
This attempted military coup comes in an electoral context in the country. On Saturday, the Electoral Commission announced the re-election of the outgoing president, Andry Rajoelina, after the counting of the ballots. However, the opposition which called for a boycott of the presidential election declared that it did not recognize the results of the commission, calling for the cancellation of the vote.