Army installs new chief, president denounces 'power grab'

A Madagascar army unit siding with anti-government protesters installed a new military chief Sunday 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 Sept 25.

The unit, which played a major role in a 2009 coup that first brought Mr Rajoelina to power, on Saturday 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.

Early on Sunday 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”.