Madagascar President Forced out
Ma d a g a s c a r ' s President Marc Ravalomanana has said he is standing down and handing power to the military. Meanwhile, military leaders said they were conferring full powers on 34-yearold opposition leader Andry Rajoelina. Mr Rajoelina has installed himself in the president's offices, seized on Monday by pro-opposition troops. The BBC's Jonah Fisher in Madagascar says that while it seems clear Mr Ravalomanana is ceding power, there is confusion about who is now in charge. Navy admiral Hyppolite Ramaroson told journalists in the capital, Antananarivo, that the military was giving full powers to Mr Rajoelina "to become president of the high transitional authority". "We have categorically rejected the [military] authority that [Mr] Ravalomanana asked us to set up after his resignation," he said. However, it is not clear whether the decision to transfer power to Mr Rajoelina is backed by the whole army. The crisis on the Indian Ocean island has left 100 people dead since January. The African Union and the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) have condemned any direct seizure of power by Mr Rajoelina. "We don't think anybody has the right to unseat an elected government by force," Botswanan Foreign Minister Phando Skelemani told the BBC, speaking on behalf of SADC. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed grave concern at the unrest in Madagascar, appealing to all parties to ensure a "smooth transition". In a radio address announcing his resignation Mr Ravalomanana said he had decided to give up power after "deep reflection". "This decision was very difficult and very hard, but it had to be made. We need calm and peace to develop our country," he said. Mr Ravalomanana's resignation marks a dramatic victory for Mr Rajoelina, who was sacked as mayor of the capital in February. The former disc jockey took up office at the presidential residence in central Antananarivo on Tuesday before emerging triumphantly to parade among thousands of supporters. He has announced there will be a new constitution and elections within 24 months. The current constitution sets a minimum age of 40 for presidential candidates. Mr Rajoelina is 34. Earlier, a number of government ministers quit, as power ebbed away from the president. Our correspondent says the mood on the streets was one of relief following fears of a bloody last stand if Mr Ravalomanana had continued to cling to power. Mr Ravalomanana had said he was ready to fight to the death at the Iavoloha palace, about 15km (nine miles) from the city centre. On Monday, Mr Rajoelina, who has declared himself president, rejected Mr Ravalomanana's offer of a referendum to solve the crisis and called for his arrest. Later that day, troops stormed the presidential residence in the centre of the capital and also seized the central bank. Mr Ravalomanana was reelected for a second term in office in 2006 and under him, Madagascar's economy has opened up to foreign investment, particularly in mining. But 70% of the 20 million population still lives on less than $1 (£0.7) a day and correspondents say the opposition has tapped into popular frustration at the failure of this new wealth to trickle down. Mr Rajoelina had said the president has been a tyrant who misspent public money but Mr Ravalomanana's supporters said his rival is a young troublemaker who has not offered any policy alternatives.

Pope Rejects Condom Use in Africa
Pope Benedict XVI has said that handing out condoms is not the answer in the fight against HIV/Aids, as he makes his first visit to Africa as pontiff. Speaking en route to Cameroon, he said distribution of condoms "increases the problem". The Vatican urges abstinence. The Pope will also visit Angola on his week-long trip, where thousands are expected to attend open-air masses. According to Vatican figures, the number of Catholics in Africa has been rising steadily in recent years. Baptised Catholics made up 17% of the African population in 2006, compared with 12% in 1978, the Vatican says. Pope Benedict said on the eve of his trip that he wanted to wrap his arms around the entire continent, with "its painful wounds, its enormous potential and hopes". Before arriving in Cameroon's capital, Yaounde, the Pope said HIV/Aids was "a tragedy that cannot be overcome by money alone, that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which can even increase the problem". The solution lies in a "spiritual and human awakening" and "friendship for those who suffer", the AFP news agency quotes him as saying. While in Africa, the pontiff is expected to talk to young people about the Aids epidemic and explain to them why the Catholic Church recommends sexual abstinence as the best way to prevent the spread of the disease. He gave a similar message to African bishops who visited the Vatican in 2005, when he told them that abstinence and fidelity, not condoms, were the means to tackle the epidemic. The BBC's Caroline Duffield, in Cameroon, says people in Yaounde are energetically sweeping and cleaning everywhere in preparation for Pope Benedict's visit. The Pope will stay in Yaounde until Friday, where he will meet bishops from all over Africa who will be taking part in a meeting at the Vatican later this year to discuss the Church's role in Africa. In Angola, which is still recovering from 27 years of civil war, Pope Benedict will meet diplomats posted in Luanda and is expected to urge the international community not to abandon Africa. The pontiff is also due to hold private talks with political leaders in the two countries, both of which have been accused of corruption and squandering revenues from natural resources. Speaking to pilgrims in St Peter's Square before setting out on his journey, the Pope said he wanted to reach out to the victims of hunger, disease, injustice, fratricidal conflicts and the violence afflicting adults and children alike in most parts of Africa.



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