Growing concern over grenade attacks

A recent spate of grenade attacks in Madagascar against government-linked targets has thrown into question President Marc Ravalomanana's hold on political power, analysts said on Friday. The latest explosion occurred on Thursday morning at the home of Bernard Randriantiana, the mayor of a small village in the southeastern province of Toliara, defence ministry spokesman Paul Andre confirmed. There were no injuries and Andre said the damage to Randriantiana's residence was limited. Since late June political and business associates of Ravalomanana have been targeted by a series of similar attacks, but officials have remained tight-lipped over possible suspects. "The failure of the government to update the country about who could be behind the attacks has been worrying. This has left the door wide open for speculation. It is difficult to say who the perpetrators could be, especially because there are so many factors which could have given rise to the current situation," a political analyst at the University of Antananarivo, Desire Ramakavelo, told IRIN. Recent unrest has been linked to growing frustration over rising prices, but Ramakavelo noted that while soaring inflation had brought hundreds of people onto the streets in protest, it was unlikely that this would have led to the grenade attacks. Since January Ravalomanana's government has been the focus of demonstrations by army reservists demanding better compensation for their role in the 2002 political crisis. During one such protest last month, a reservist injured himself and 22 other people, including three policemen, when he exploded a grenade. Ramakavelo said the protests by the army reservists were seen as the most serious chink in Ravalomanana's overwhelming popularity since he came to power. "In order to identify who is responsible [for the attacks], one must look at those who have access to such weapons - there were many grenades and other such weapons available during the [2002] political crisis. But I think it is also important to clarify that, although the reservists have been pointed to as possible suspects, it is unlikely that they are acting alone." He claimed there had been growing resentment among opposition parties over Ravalomanana's perceived autocratic governing style. "The reservists have nothing to gain by trying destabilise the government, since they rallied around him when he most needed assistance," Ramakavelo said. About 2,600 former members of the army and police were called on to support Ravalomanana during the tussle for control of the Indian Ocean island, sparked by disputed elections held in December 2001.