Things are moving quickly in Madagascar as the military has effectively taken control of the government. The next step is uncertain but it is clear that while opposition figure Andry Rajoelina talks democracy he is also willing to let the military rather than the electorate put facts on the ground. The question is whether supporters of President Marc Ravalomanana are going going to accept the military’s action or will Madagascar be in for Kenyan and Zimbabwean type political showdowns?
Meanwhile, in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, confrontations between the country’s two main political parties sparked a day of violence. If it continues it will be a real setback for a country just emerging from a violent civil war. It will also serve as a dire warning for neighboring Liberia, which will enter its own Presidential election cycle next year.