The military assault on Madagascar's presidential compound is aimed at forcing President Marc Ravalomanana to leave power as soon as possible, the country's army chief told AFP Monday.
"We seized the presidency to hasten Ravalomanana's departure," Madagascan army chief of staff Colonel Andre Andriarijaona said.
He was speaking to AFP by phone moments after around 100 soldiers backed by tanks stormed the president's office in the capital Antananarivo, leaving Ravalomanana's grip on power hanging by a thread.
The army chief said there was no immediate plan to conduct a similar operation on the presidential palace outside the city centre where the 59-year-old leader and a handful of loyal members of his guard were holed up.
"We are against any bloodletting, so we won't go there until we obtain guarantees on the presidential guard's intentions," he explained.
Madagascar's presidential guard is made up of some 500 men but top security officials told AFP earlier Monday that some of its members had defected and aligned with the army.
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