In response to a call issued by Archbishop Ian Ernest of the Indian Ocean, I appeal to all members of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa to hold the people of Madagascar in their prayers in the coming days and weeks.
Archbishop Ernest has told the Communion that after weeks of opposition protests and turmoil – in which more than 135 people were killed – the Malagasy army on Monday threw its weight behind the opposition leader, Andry Rajoelina, and stormed a presidential palace in the heart of the capital, Antananarivo. The army also seized the central bank.
After Archbishop Ernest sent his appeal for prayer, the President of Madagascar resigned and tried to hand power to a military directorate. But the generals – many of whose troops have declared their support for the opposition – simply handed power to Mr Rajoelina.
These developments have led the chairperson of the Southern African Development Community, President Kgalema Motlanthe of South Africa, to declare the opposition’s actions as unconstitutional. The African Union’s Peace and Security Council has demanded that the authorities in Madagascar adhere scrupulously to the constitution. In a decision not yet explained, Madagascar’s constitutional court has apparently ratified this power-grab.
We pray for those who have died and their families and for those who have been injured, we condemn the killings and we affirm the need for those on all sides in Madagascar to respect life as given by God. We also pray that democratic governance in accordance with the protocols of SADC and the African Union will be promoted and upheld throughout the region and the continent.
The return to African politics of coups d’etat, assassinations and seizures of power – such as those we have seen in Mauritania, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and now Madagascar – is deeply alarming. This should not be happening in 21st century Africa.
Yours in the service of Christ
+Thabo Cape Town
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