Madagascar army unit claims control, president says power-grab underway

The CAPSAT contingent of administrative and technical officers joined thousands of protesters in the city centre on Saturday in a major shift in a more than two-week anti-government protest movement.

The unit had earlier declared that it would "refuse orders to shoot" and criticised the gendarmerie, who have been accused of using heavy-handed tactics against protesters, causing several deaths.

"From now on, all orders of the Malagasy army -- whether land, air or the navy -- will originate from CAPSAT headquarters," the CAPSAT officers claimed in a video statement.

There was no immediate response from other units or the military command.

Soldiers from the unit clashed with gendarmes outside a barracks on Saturday and rode into the city on army vehicles to join the demonstrators, who welcomed them with jubilation and calls for Rajoelina to resign.

The president released a statement Sunday saying "an attempt to seize power illegally and by force, contrary to the Constitution and to democratic principles, is currently under way."

"Dialogue is the only way forward and the only solution to the crisis currently facing the country," he said, calling for "unity".

- 'Faults'-

Officers of the gendarmerie said in a video statement Sunday that they recognised "faults and excesses during our interventions," calling for "fraternity" between the army and the gendarmes.

"We are here to protect, not to terrorise," they said, adding that "from now on, all orders will come solely" from the gendarmerie's headquarters.

Saturday's demonstration in the capital Antananarivo was one of the biggest since the protest movement erupted on September 25, sparked by anger over power and water shortages.

The government on Sunday night ensured that Rajoelina remained "in the country" and was managing national affairs, while the newly appointed prime minister said the government was "standing strong" and "ready to collaborate and listen".

The CAPSAT contingent is based in the Soanierana district on the outskirts of Antananarivo.

The Soanierana military base in 2009 led a mutiny during a popular uprising that brought Rajoelina to power.

The United Nations has said that at least 22 people were killed in the first days of the protests that started on September 25, some killed by security forces and others in violence sparked by criminal gangs and looters in the wake of the demonstrations.

Rajoelina has disputed the toll, saying last week there were "12 confirmed deaths and all of these individuals were looters and vandals".

According to local media, the emergency services reported another two dead and 26 injured on Saturday. The CAPSAT unit said a soldier was also shot by gendarmes and died.