What do we know about this thwarted conspiracy involving two French people?

Is France involved in a coup attempt in Madagascar? Andrei Rajolina is the leader of this sub-Saharan African country I was surprised This Sunday, after the arrest of two French people in July, the suspect
With about twenty other people For wanting to kill him. “20 Minutes” takes a case with even more blurry expressions.

What happened ?

On July 20, several foreigners and Malagasy were arrested “as part of an investigation that endangered state security,” the judiciary and the government said. Madagascar. “According to the material resources at our disposal, these individuals have devised a plan to remove and neutralize various Malagasy personalities, including the head of state,” Attorney General Bertine Rasafierivoni told reporters.

Public Security Minister Fanomezantsoa Rodellys Randrianarison promised the seizure of “official documents proving their involvement.” Two of the six arrested that day were French. After a judge’s hearing on Wednesday, August 4, they were remanded in custody along with five other suspects.

Who were these two Frenchmen arrested?

One of those who acted as the mastermind of the assassination ordered the French colonel regiments Chad, In Kosovo and Afghanistan, ”Andrei Rajolina announced on Sunday during an interview with public television channels. According to several sources, this Colonel Philip F. He retired from the French army and settled on the island in early 2020. Until last June, he was chairman of the Investment and Advisory Institute for International Investors in Madagascar.

His lawyer Me Etienne de Villepin confirmed that his client was “above all doubt”. “My client has no political interest in Madagascar,” he stressed, with Philip F. It was a long-planned operation, as evidenced by various documents long before he was arrested at Antonanarivo International Airport, he adds. The council also seized a container belonging to Philip F, a Cobro camera and a mobile phone “without revealing any elements so far”.

The Philip F-led investment fund was launched in December 2020 by Paul R. Initiated by The world. Paul R., the second Frenchman to be arrested by Malagasy authorities. Like Philip F, he went through Saint-Zaire School. Born in 1963, he was a captain when he left Gendermary in 1994, according to French Gendermary sources. Paul R. He also knows President Rajolina because he was his diplomatic adviser until 2011. In his LinkedIn profile, he now shows himself as Archbishop of Antonanarivo. However, the cleric declined to comment, saying “he is not responsible for people using his name without an explicit order.” Andrei Regolina also questioned this position. “I received a letter from the Vatican as a sign of solidarity after this assassination plot,” the Madagascan president promised.

Why will President Andrei Rajolina be targeted?

Many senior military officers are among those accused in this thwarted assassination plot. “If they want to kill me, it’s because of my commitment to protecting our nation,” the Madagascar head of state said Sunday. “Disagreement does not justify a murder.” Elected in 2018, nicknamed “TGV”, he won the December senator election. It then captured all the political levers of the country.

Opposition groups called for the beleagured PM to resign. “We must not use this situation to undermine democracy in Madagascar,” he warned, while Andrei Rajolina was particularly critical of press freedom. Reporters Without Borders In recent months, journalists have come under pressure, intimidation and threats, especially when they were interested in dealing with epidemics and the current famine in the south of the island.

What effect might this event have on the relationship between France and Madagascar?

“The people of Malagasy are concerned, knowing that its president is particularly threatened by many foreign powers. This is a real concern,” he said on July 22. RFI Patrick Rajolina, Special Adviser to the President of Madagascan. But for now, more than ten days after the arrest of the two Frenchmen, the question remains unanswered. “We have to wait for the outcome of the inquiry to determine whether this is an isolated act or not. The inquiry will answer all of this,” said President Andrei Rajolina.

“Who benefits from crime?” Was this small group isolated or was it a real conspiracy? “Patrick Rajolina is also surprised. If the act is isolated, the consequences will be minimal. On the other hand, if the results of the investigation are different, relations with France could deteriorate. It’s interesting to have a Frenchman involved, so people’s attention will change. ”

For now, if President Andrei Rajolina wonders about France’s involvement in the matter, he has promised that there will be “no personal problem” in his “relationship with France”.