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Colonel Richard Ratsimandrava (March 21, 1931 Antananarivo – February 11, 1975 Antananarivo) was President of Madagascar for six days in February 1975. His assassination in 1975 led to a civil war.

Biography

Military career

He was born in 1931 and was a Merina with a less "aristocratic" background^[1] thus was more palatable to population^[2]. A graduate of the French military college in Saint Cyr, Ratsimandrava served throughout French Africa before returning to Madagascar when that country gained independence in 1960. He joined the army, attaining the rank of lieutenant-colonel by 1968. In 1972 President Gabriel Ramanantsoa established a military government to replace the independence government of Philibert Tsiranana, and Ratsimandrava was appointed Minister of the Interior. In this position, he was able to manipulate the army, which led to the ousting of Ramanantsoa on February 5, 1975.

Death

Six days following his taking office, Ratsimandrava was assassinated at 8 p.m. while driving from the presidential palace to his home^[3]. His death was announced by the new ruling military committee. It claimed that the President had been killed by members of the Republican Security Forces (Groupe Mobile de Police-GMP)^[4], a counterinsurgency outfit dissolved by his predecessor^[5]. The event nearly plunged the country into civil war between supporters of the military government and former President Tsiranana. In 2006, on the 31st anniversary of colonel's murder, a conference was held in Madagascar^[6].

Further reading

L'assassinat du prιsident Ratsimandrava, Le Journal La Croix (1975). preview of newspaper article on assassination of Ratsimandrava

References

1. ^ http://forum.lixium.fr/v-276711.htm
2. ^ http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=pWRjGZ9H7hYC&pg=PA973&lpg=PA973&dq=ratsimandrava&source=bl&ots=C8zbbT9AOh&sig=97VK9QjB6kGmD3hRT9eTIq6_pwM&hl=en&ei=Tna0SeH5EeLBjAfXjOH4BQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=8&ct=result#PPA974,M1
3. ^ OnWar.com, Armed Conflict Events Data, retrieved 9 March 2009.
4. ^ http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-8427.html
5. ^ TIME, 24 February 1975, accessed 9 March 2009
6. ^ MAD on line, Conference called on the tragedy of Ratsimandrava, 17/03/2006, accessed 9 March 2009

External links

• Biography - in Malagasy.
• - Photo of Ratsimandrava.

Presidents of Madagascar Tsiranana | Ramanantsoa | Ratsimandrava | Andriamahazo | Ratsiraka | Zafy | Ratsirahonana (interim) | Ratsiraka | Ravalomanana | Rajoelina