MADAGASCAR MAKES HISTORY WHILE LEMURS ARE BECOMING HISTORY

July 27, 2012

Madagascar has gone through a turbulent few days. Last Sunday a mutiny was put down. The ring leader, Koto Mainty, was killed and his soldiers were arrested. A government official who tried to negotiate with the mutineers and another officer were also killed. On Wednesday, President Andry Rajoelina met his predecessor, Marc Ravalomanana, the president he had ousted in his 2009 coup, on a private island in the Seychelles. The talks, which were at the behest of other southern African nations, were inconclusive, as Mr Ravalomanana was told that he could return from his exile in South Africa, but would face immediate imprisonment on account of his guards opening fire on protesters storming the presidential palace during the prelude to his overthrow. Today Ravalomanana's wife was marched onto a plane heading for Thailand hours after she landed in the capital, Antananarivo, in an attempt to pave the way for her husband. The president described her return as "Provocative".

More talks will be scheduled...

Ring-tailed lemurs

In the meantime a report by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has revealed that the island's original, unique and distinguished inhabitants, the lemurs, are heading for extinction. There are 103 species of Lemurs in Madagascar and over 90% of them are on the Threatened Species list. With so much happening, one wonders where these poor creature sit on the presidential agenda. They may be better off joining Madam Ravalomanana and taking the next plane out of there!