Madagascan leaders stranded in SA

Madagascar's coup leader Andry Rajoelina left several of his rivals stranded in South Africa yesterday after telling airlines they would not be allowed to land in Antananarivo if they carried the political leaders.

This "immature" gesture by the former DJ has dealt another blow to the fraught negotiations to restore democracy to the Indian Ocean island state which was thrown into turmoil when Rajoelina seized power in a military coup earlier this year.

A week ago, Rajoelina stranded the leaders in Maputo when he cancelled a Malagasy government charter flight which was supposed to bring them back from negotiations in Maputo.

The leaders then decided to return to Madagascar on a scheduled flight. They flew from Maputo to Joburg yesterday. But in the meantime, Rajoelina's government had contacted all airlines with flights to Madagascar - including South African Airways - saying they would be denied landing rights in the country if they tried to bring the blacklisted passengers home.

The stranded leaders are former president Albert Zafy, Co-President Fetison Andrianirina, Co-President Emmanuel Rakotovahiny and Prime Minister Eugene Mangalaza, and about 20 more officials.

The South African government was last night preparing to approach the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to call a special summit to resolve this crisis in the negotiations.

The SADC has been leading these international negotiations since the March coup which ousted elected President Marc Ravalomanana.

• This article was originally published on page 1 of The Cape Argus on December 13, 2009