Madagascar president's HQ seized

Madagascan troops have entered the presidential palace compound in the capital Antananarivo, witnesses say. Marc Ravalomanana, the president, was not in the building, which is largely used for ceremonial purposes, when soldiers smashed down the gates with armoured vehicles on Monday. "Surrender, surrender, if you are there surrender, because we are brothers," a soldier shouted into a megaphone as they forced their way in. Troops were also reportedly heading to another palace about 6km from the city centre where Ravalomanana was believed to be sheltering. Al Jazeera's Haru Mutasa, speaking from Antananarivo, said that the army had declared that it would take the second presidential palace during the evening. "The people protecting the president and the few soldiers protecting the president have mined the area to make sure people can't get any closer," she said. "They are expecting some kind of standoff, the question is when will it happen. It doesn't seem, at the moment that [Ravalomanana] will go back on his word not to leave the presidential palace." Crippling crisis Monday's events came amid a worsening political standoff between Ravalomanana and the country's principal opposition leader that has crippled the island nation since the beginning of the year. Just hours prior to the forcible takeover of the presidential compound, Andry Rajoelina, the opposition leader, called on the security forces to arrest Ravalomanana, who he accuses of being a dictator and misusing public funds. "If Andry Rajoelina can resolve the problem, we are behind him" Colonel Andre Ndriarijaona, army chief of staff Rajoelina has already declared himself the Indian Ocean island's de facto leader, tapping into widespread public discontent, especially among Madagascar's poor. "We have been told that he [Rajoelina] is actually preparing to go into the presidential palace on Tuesday morning to take office and to tell people that he is in charge," Mutasa said. Ravalomanana had offered to hold a referendum to end the crisis, but Rajoelina said in a radio address that there was no need for a poll as the people had already made their opinions clear. The head of Madagascar's armed forces said on Monday they were 99 per cent behind Rajoelina. "We are there for the Malagasy people. If Andry Rajoelina can resolve the problem, we are behind him," Colonel Andre Ndriarijaona, who led a mutiny last week and replaced the previous army chief of staff, said. "I would say 99 per cent of the forces are behind him." 'Attempted coup' The African Union has called the situation in Madagascar an attempted coup and urged the people to respect the constitution. "The situation in Madagascar is an internal conflict," Edouard Alo-Glele, Benin's envoy to Ethiopia, said after an emergency meeting of the AU's Peace and Security Council. "It is an attempted coup d'etat. We condemn the attempted coup d'etat." More than 130 people have been killed in Madagascar since the country's political crisis began in January, most of them when security forces cracked down on anti-government protests at the order of Ravalomanana's government. Update: Madagascar's President Marc Ravalomanana handed power to a navy admiral today after a power struggle with the opposition on the Indian Ocean island, a presidential aide said. "The president has handed power to the military," spokesman Andry Ralijaona said. "In this case, it is the elder of the highest rank and I understand that is Hyppolite Ramaroson." He said Ravalomanana had left his presidential palace and was at an undisclosed location. The spokesman said he believed the president had quit in the best interests of Madagascar. "I would imagine it was because of his analysis of the situation and he came to the conclusion this is best for the country. He behaved as a statesman," Ralijaona said. update source: Independent UK