Madagascar army crowns new chief

A MADAGASCAR army unit siding with anti-government protesters installed a new military chief at the weekend as President Andry Rajoelina denounced an "attempt to seize power illegally".

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The soldiers from the Capsat contingent joined protesters for a second day in a row, attending a rally in the capital to remember the people killed in more than two weeks of anti-government demonstrations that erupted on September 25.

The unit, which played a major role in a 2009 coup that first brought Rajoelina to power, at the weekend declared it would "refuse orders to shoot" on demonstrators.

Soldiers then entered the city centre to meet several thousand protesters, who welcomed them with jubilation and praise.

At the weekend the contingent claimed in a video statement that "from now on, all orders of the Malagasy army - whether land, air or the navy - will originate from Capsat headquarters".

Hours later, its pick for new Chief of the Army Staff, General Demosthene Pikulas, was installed during a ceremony at the army headquarters attended by the armed forces minister, Manantsoa Deramasinjaka Rakotoarivelo.