Open Letter on the Situation in Madagascar from Marc Ravalomanana, Former President of Madagascar

JOHANNESBURG, February 18, 2010 - "Dear members of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union,

As the Peace and Security Council meets tomorrow, I am writing as the
former President of Madagascar to ask you to focus your attention on the
deteriorating situation in my country.

Madagascar is already one of the poorest countries in the world. World
Bank figures released on 1 February 2010 showed that last year economic
growth in Madagascar collapsed to just 0.6 per cent (compared with 7 per cent
in 2008), driven largely by the actions of the illegal regime. All sectors of
the economy and society are affected. To give just one example: this month
the UNICEF representative for Madagascar, Bruno Maes, expressed concern about
a huge decrease in the education budget of 20-30 per cent, as a result of
which "funds and materials are not reaching schools". Madagascar cannot
afford to jeopardise its future in this way.

I am grateful for the mediation sponsored by the African Union and for
its determination to ensure free and fair elections in my country but as time
passes, life becomes more unbearable for the Malagasy people. I know that the
African Union is going to consider measures designed to bring about the
restoration of democracy. I welcome this. But can I impress upon you that any
measures must be designed to bring pressure to bear upon the illegal regime
in Antananarivo and not to worsen the plight of the general populace.

As you will be aware, the US government has already suspended Madagascar
from the African Growth and Opportunity Act that allows African states to
export some goods to the US free of duty and on which around one in four
Malagasy jobs depends. This is already causing significant hardship to those
involved in the textile industry, one of Madagascar's major export sectors. I
now understand that the European Union is reviewing my country's involvement
in the Cotonou Agreement with a view to withdrawing trade concessions.

Whilst it is a great comfort to me that the international community is
actively seeking a solution to Madagascar's political crisis by pressing for
free and fair elections and the restoration of a functioning democratic
government, I am deeply concerned that poorly targeted economic sanctions
will cause additional suffering to my countrymen and may provoke a
humanitarian crisis.

I call on the African Union to ensure that any new sanctions are
carefully targeted against the illegal regime itself and do not harm
Madagascar's ordinary people. They have already suffered enough at the hands
of the coup leadership.

Yours faithfully,

Marc RAVALOMANANA

Chef de File de la Mouvance RAVALOMANANA"

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