Aid agencies assess impact of Madagascan crisis

Amid the latest upsurge of political violence in Madagascar, aid agencies are preparing for a possible humanitarian crisis on the island. A UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) mission will arrive on the Indian Ocean island on Wednesday. Their goal is to assess the impact the political crisis has had on the country. The "information gathering" mission comes in the wake of news reports that five soldiers were killed and 18 others injured in fresh clashes on Sunday. The violence broke out when troops backing the president, Didier Ratsiraka, tried to storm the barricades of supporters of the self-declared president, Marc Ravalomanana, Associated Press (AP reported). Ravalomanana's supporters were trying to replace the town's incumbent governor, a Ratsiraka supporter, with their own candidate, the report said. The political crisis in Madagascar has become increasingly bloody with almost 30 people reportedly killed since the disputed 16 December poll. "The OCHA mission is expected to provide the [UN] country team with alternative strategies should the humanitarian situation begin to overwhelm the humanitarian community in Madagascar," UN Development Programme (UNDP) Officer, Michel Mattera, told IRIN on Monday. A UNDP Crisis Prevention Programme report said the health system and the economy were worst affected by the political crisis. The report said: "The situation is getting complicated with the roadblocks between the different provinces. Many health centres are beginning to face severe shortages." It added that food producers were the hardest hit "due to the perishable nature of foodstuffs and the lack of adequate conservation capacity". Meanwhile, AP reported that Ravalomanana had left for Dakar, Senegal, where he is expected to meet with his rival, Ratsiraka. AP reported that officials told the agency the two men would meet for the first time since Ravalomanana declared himself president in February.