Madagascar prime minister condemns excessive use of force during protests

Madagascar's newly appointed prime minister, General Ruphin Fortunat Zafisambo, condemned on Friday what he said was "excessive use of force" by both security personnel and protesters, after three weeks of anti-government demonstrations around the island nation.

Protesters have blocked roads with rocks and in some cases hurled stones at security forces who have responded with rounds of teargas. One woman whose husband was shot dead on September 25 when he went to close his shop, told Reuters this week that his death had been "entirely preventable".

The demonstrations were initially sparked by water and electricity shortages but later expanded to include calls for President Andry Rajoelina to step down, apologise to the nation and dissolve the senate and election commission.

The United Nations says at least 22 people were killed and more than 100 injured in the initial days of the protests - figures the government has rejected. Rajoelina put the number of those killed at 12 and said they were mostly looters.

On Friday, hundreds of protesters took to the streets in the capital Antananarivo again calling for Rajoelina to go.

"We firmly condemn all excesses, and we totally condemn the excessive use of force among Malagasy people. Malagasy values, our sense of solidarity and brotherhood, must prevail, whether within the military or among the protesters," Zafisambo told reporters when asked to respond to criticism of the use of force by security forces.

Also on Friday, the United Nations Office on Human Rights urged security forces to refrain from using unnecessary force against demonstrators.

"We’re receiving troubling reports of continued violence against protesters by the gendarmerie, particularly in #Antananarivo," it said on its X account.

Rajoelina appointed Zafisambo and a new defence and security minister after dissolving the previous government last week. 

On Wednesday, he told a meeting in his office he was ready to resign if he failed to fix Madagascar's power problems within a year.

The unrest comes at a vulnerable time for Madagascar's export-reliant economy. While the country is best known for producing most of the world’s vanilla, other exports including nickel, cobalt, textiles and shrimp are also vital to foreign earnings and employment.

Protesters’ call for a nationwide strike on Thursday went largely unheeded.

One business executive who did not wish to be named told Reuters the disruptions from the protest and an ensuing curfew had exacerbated the already dire economic situation in the country.