Antananarivo - Madagascar's President Marc Ravalomanana and opposition leader Andry Rajoelina were set to hold substantive negotiations on the island's month-long political crisis Monday after agreeing at the weekend to avoid further confrontation.
At their first meeting Saturday, the two rivals vowed to try to defuse the tensions that have claimed over 100 lives on the Indian Ocean island since late January when the opposition began a series of mass demonstrations over Ravalomanana's rule.
Antananarivo - Madagascar opposition leader Andry Rajoelina announced Saturday that he would be meeting President Marc Ravalomanana following several days of mediation by church leaders.
Former Antananarivo mayor Rajoelina told a rally of some 10,000 supporters on the capital's historic May 13 Square that the meeting would go ahead later Saturday at a "neutral location" in the presence of church mediators.
He confirmed that he was prepared to take part in the meeting, and would convey the result to supporters on Sunday at a public church service.
Antananarivo - Madagascar's military on Friday denied having killed any opposition supporters overnight, following reports that several demonstrators were killed during a security operation to retake four government ministries seized by protestors.
The military said no-one had been killed but that around 50 people were arrested when troops and riot police evicted a group of opposition supporters from ministry buildings in the capital Antananarivo in the early hours of Friday morning.
Several Malagasy radio stations reported that eight people had been shot dead by the military.
Antananarivo - Security forces in Madagascar's capital were engaged in a tense standoff Thursday for the fourth day running with upwards of 25,000 opposition supporters demanding the ousting of President Marc Ravalomanana's government.
The supporters of Andry Rajoelina, former mayor of the capital Antananarivo, made their way through the city towards government buildings to try to install an interim government of Rajoelina's choosing.
Around 400 heavily-armed police and soldiers were barring their access to the restricted zone around the ministries.
Antananarivo - Security forces in Madagascar's capital were engaged in a tense standoff Thursday for the fourth day running with tens of thousands of opposition supporters demanding the ousting of President Marc Ravalomanana's government.
The supporters of Andry Rajoelina, former mayor of the capital Antananarivo, made their way through the city towards government buildings to try to install an interim government of Rajoelina's choosing.
Around 400 heavily-armed police and soldiers were barring their access to the restricted zone around the ministries.
Antananarivo - Security forces in Madagascar fired warning shots and tear gas on Monday to repulse a crowd of stone-throwing opposition protestors who gathered near government buildings to press for the installation of a new administration
The standoff took place near the central May 13 square in the capital Antananarivo, when around 10,000 people answered a call by self-proclaimed national leader Andry Rajoelina to usher in his "ministers."
Rajoelina on Monday presented two new ministers to his line-up of 12 ministers, which he says should replace President Marc Ravalomanana's elected government.
Antananarivo - Madagascar's President Marc Ravalomanana and opposition leader Andry Rajoelina were set to hold substantive negotiations on the island's month-long political crisis Monday after agreeing at the weekend to avoid further confrontation.
Antananarivo - Security forces in Madagascar's capital were engaged in a tense standoff Thursday for the fourth day running with upwards of 25,000 opposition supporters demanding the ousting of President Marc Ravalomanana's government.
