Sawt Falasteen - Madagascar soldiers join protesters as thousands gather in Antananarivo

The newly appointed premier on Saturday night said the government was "standing strong" and "ready to collaborate and listen to all forces -- the youth, trade unions, and the military".

"Madagascar will not be able to withstand any further crises if this division among the people continues," Prime Minister Ruphin Fortunat Dimbisoa Zafisambo said in a short video speech.

The presidency meanwhile sent out a statement ensuring that President Andry Rajoelina "remains in the country" and "continues to manage national affairs".

Saturday's demonstration in the capital Antananarivo was one of the biggest since the protest movement erupted on September 25, sparked by anger over power and water shortages.

Police used stun grenades and tear gas to try to disperse the large crowds of several thousand people, but some left as soldiers from the CAPSAT contingent of administrative and technical officers rode into the city on army vehicles to join the demonstrators.

They were welcomed with cheers from protesters who called out "Thank you!" to the uniformed troops, some waving Madagascar flags.

The departure of the police and other security forces opened the way for the crowds to reach the symbolic Place du 13 Mai in front of Antananarivo's city hall.

CAPSAT Colonel Michael Randrianirina told AFP at the site that police had shot at the soldiers as they passed barracks, hitting one and a journalist. "The journalist was hit in the buttock, while the soldier died," he said.

"For all those who sent the gendarmes here, starting with the head of gendarmerie, the prime minister, the president... they must leave power," he told AFP.

According to local media, the emergency services reported two dead and 26 injured on Saturday.

AFP reporters heard shots being fired during the demonstration, and shots and explosions could still be heard in Antananarivo's centre while protesters continued celebrating on the square as night fell.

- 'Refuse to shoot' -

Before leaving their camp at Soanierana on the outskirts of the city, the soldiers called on the army and security units not to shoot protesters.

"Let us join forces, military, gendarmes and police, and refuse to be paid to shoot our friends, our brothers and our sisters," Randrianirina said, surrounded by soldiers in uniform, in a video shared on social media.

The military base in Soanierana in 2009 led a mutiny in a popular uprising that brought Rajoelina to power.

It was unclear how many soldiers joined their call Saturday.

The Gen Z movement leading the near-daily protests on Saturday night called for Rajoelina to resign, in a list of written demands that also included the "initiation of a democratic national dialogue and "universal access to essential services" from water to employment.

"We firmly reaffirm that we do not seek a coup d’État nor the seizure of power by force," the statement said, thanking the CAPSAT contingent for a "powerful and historic gesture".

"We don't have any weapons. We try to protect ourselves with stones from the tear gas they throw at us. And now, we really feel a sense of pride," said Lucie, a 24-year-old protester, who gave only her first name.

With frequent power and water cuts, life in Madagascar was "hell", said one young man on condition of anonymity.

"And once you ask for what you want, they give you tear gas. There is no freedom," he told AFP.

- Violent crackdown -

The United Nations has said that at least 22 people were killed in the first days of the protests that started on September 25.

Rajoelina has disputed the toll, saying last week there were "12 confirmed deaths and all of these individuals were looters and vandals".

Faced with near daily protests since September 25, Rajoelina fired his government on September 30, appointing an army general as prime minister, but the move failed to quell the uprising.

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K.AbuDahab--SF-PST