SUMMARY
The violence between the Supporters of Andry Rajoelina and Supporters of Marc Ravalomanana had its origin in mounting tensions between the mayor of the capital, opposition leader Rajoelina, and President Ravalomanana. When Rajoelina, a 32-year old former DJ, was elected mayor in 2007, he was seen as coming from nowhere. The energetic campaign that sent a message to the youth to “seize the day” and portrayed him as somewhat of a pop star, appealed to many people, especially the young.
Rajoelina’s success should be put into context with the political, economic, and social developments since the former mayor of the capital, Ravalomanana, assumed authority after a power struggle with the sitting president in 2002. After having been installed as president, he started to approach the global market, after decades of Marxist rule under the former president. This was applauded by the international community and multinational corporations, such as Exxon Mobil, started to invest in the country. This was also highly beneficial for Ravalomanana’s own business interests, including e.g. dairy products and cooking oil. However, while the boost led to higher food and fuel prices, the wages of the general population did not increase at the same rate. About 70 % of the country’s population lived on less than $1 a day. At the same time, large land areas in the south were planned to be leased to foreign investors, which was seen as a betrayal by many Malagasy people who have strong ties to their land.
While in office as mayor, Rajoelina increasingly positioned himself as the main opposition leader. In late 2008, he used his private TV and radio stations to criticize the president, who in turn responded by shutting them down in January 2009. This was the last straw for many people and when Rajoelina demanded that the president should resign and called for a general strike, tens of thousands of people took to the streets in the capital. The state-owned TV and radio stations were set on fire and the following days saw riots, looting, and clashes between Supporters of Andry Rajoelina and Supporters of Marc Ravalomanana. In mid-March 2009, after weeks of political turmoil and with the backing of the military and the high court, Rajoelina was declared president.
The clashes between the Supporters of Andry Rajoelina, who reportedly were in a clear majority, and Supporters of Marc Ravalomanana took place mainly on 26-28 January 2009. Those days saw riots and fighting between angry mobs in a few larger towns. Several buildings were also set on fire. The violence in this conflict was largely confined to the capital of Antananarivo and a few larger towns.
The non-state conflict between Supporters of Andry Rajoelina and Supporters of Marc Ravalomanana is first included in UCDP data in year 2009. In January of that year, violent clashes flared up following the closure of TV and radio stations belonging to Rajoelina, resulting in over 25 battle-related deaths.
