Sanday Chongo Kabange, AfricaNews reporter in Lusaka, Zambia
A colonel with the Madagascan military has said he and almost two dozen other top-ranking officers have taken over the Indian Ocean island nation of Madagascar. Colonel Charles Andrianasoavina, one of the main backers of a power-grab last March by Andry Rajoelina, made the declaration on Wednesday at a military base near the airport.
He was joined by the president's head of security. The two gave no word on the whereabouts of Rajoelina, who is believed to be in the capital, according to reports out of the Island nation.
The supposed coup comes in the midst of a referendum to accept or reject a new constitution that calls for keeping Rajoelina in power indefinitely.
Members of the security forces have been on the streets monitoring the voting in the referendum and voting is continuing, with few on the island apparently aware of the officers' declaration.
"If there is a mutiny, we have to intervene. We cannot negotiate with someone who mutinies," Andrianazary, a military police general, was reported by news agency as saying.
The country's military has suffered from rifts since Rajoelina's 2009 coup, and a small group of dissident military police briefly seized control of a military camp in May, before being quashed by the security forces.
A witness said it was calm outside the presidential palace in the city's centre.
A colonel with the Madagascan military has said he and almost two dozen other top-ranking officers have taken over the Indian Ocean island nation of Madagascar. Colonel Charles Andrianasoavina, one of the main backers of a power-grab last March by Andry Rajoelina, made the declaration on Wednesday at a military base near the airport.
