NGOs warn of impending humanitarian crisis

Concern is mounting in Madagascar that the strangulation of the opposition-held capital Antananarivo by a blockade laid by the army and government supporters, could spark a humanitarian crisis in the city. Just a day after the European Commission demanded the lifting of roadblocks between the main port of Toamasina and the capital, a bridge linking Antananarivo to a southern port was blown up on Friday. The dynamited Fatihita bridge, about 200 km south of the capital, provided Antananarivo with an alternative source of fuel from the smaller port of Manakara. For nearly two months government supporters and soldiers have blockaded the only road between Toamasina and Antananarivo effectively cutting off supplies of fuel and other essentials to the capital. Non governmental organisations are concerned that the recent act of sabotage could lead to an escalation of violence and the deterioration of an already bad economic situation. "The blowing up of the bridge is going to make the situation worse than it already is. People are now buying fuel on the black market. At more than US $4 a litre, thousands of people now have no choice but to walk long distances to work. Many of those lucky to have a job have been waiting weeks to be paid by employers desperate to get money from the paralysed banking system," Madeleine Ramaholimihaso, who headed a consortium of civil society organisations that supervised the country's disputed presidential poll, told IRIN. President Didier Ratsiraka's supporters set up the roadblocks in February after Marc Ravalomanana, refusing to accept official December election results, declared himself president and appointed a rival administration in the capital. Ratsiraka and his government then set up a base in Toamasina, one of the island's coastal cities. The blockade is thought to be a tactic by Ratsiraka to try to isolate the parallel government formed by Ravalomanana. However, the assault on living standards hasn't only come from the government. On 28 January, the opposition called a crippling general strike aimed at forcing Ratsiraka to resign. The strike was abandoned two weeks ago after the opposition cemented its control over the capital. "With the strike halting production and the blockade making raw materials scarce and exports impossible, many businesses in the capital have closed or are on the verge of bankruptcy. About 20,000 jobs in the island nation have been lost and a further 80,000 are threatened," Midi Madagaskara, a local newspaper reported on Friday. As fuel shortages reach a critical stage and essentials become increasing scarce, Ramaholimihaso warned of an impending humanitarian crisis on the island. "People have already begun hoarding sugar, vegetables and other basics. Essentials that used to be commonplace in the market are now a scarcity in the city. A lot of people are relying on their neighbours and wealthy relatives for assistance. However, if the situation gets any worse and there is no resolution to the crisis, those who are in a more fortunate situation now will no longer afford to offer any help," Ramaholimihaso said. Meanwhile, diplomatic sources are concerned that the political situation in the country is threatening to undo six years of development and foreign investment which had created more than 100,000 jobs. "People are not going hungry yet, but it's just a matter of time before there are calls for food aid. Ravalomanana and Ratsiraka must do something now before we have food queues in the country," a diplomatic source in Antananarivo told IRIN on Monday. The World Bank had earlier estimated the dispute was costing the already poor island nation US $12 million a day - a huge chunk of its gross domestic product.