[ROM]: An African March

[Nathan]

An African March​ Time: 12:00 Thousands had now gathered in the City of Antsiranana for a march along the side. Chants of "No Justice No Peace", "Stop the brutality!" "You left us to the Viruses, now we will leave you to the demons" rang out around as people marched proudly down the streets. Men, Women and Children sharing the same defiant mood headed for the Provincial government building. The Gendarmerie Nationale immediately dispatched 100 of the cities officers, 81 Police Officers from the Mobile Intervention Group. From further afield, a further 200 officers were called in from neighbouring cities and towns as well as the Northern SWAT team and its 40 Officers and it's 5 Sprinter vans. The Conservative Governor of the Province, Michael Rakotonirina took the unusual step of notifying the Minister of Public Security of the large scale disorder personally via telephone. Time: 13:00 By the time the crowds reached their intended target, the Provincial hall the Mobile Intervention Group were already in place at the front of the building's entrance joined by the regular officers. While Malagasy police were known to be brutal in their put downs of disorder and corruption, the Mobile Intervention Group were viewed as the next tier of brutalising and terrorising those who stood against the government. Many a story of assaults, torture and brutality were told in Madagascar, but no arrests were ever made. Bodies piled up, but no justice was ever found. The crowds remained peaceful on the streets of the Provincial Hall as the. Governor Rakotonirina stood watch from a front facing window as families gathered calmly, laughing joking and singing in the streets. From a distance, the Governor could view TV cameras pitched up on high vantage points. The man stopped, reached for a cigar before turning around to face the room. In the room stood a team of his aides, the local police commander and the city mayor. "Commander Endor! Your men seem to be itching for a good fight. It is an election year and these rats are creating a mess. See to it to arrange for some pest control for our streets, we do not want to be seen to be harvesting vermin amongst our people" "Governor.. they are peacefully demonstrating, my men cannot.." "Commander, this is an election year meaning my term may well soon be coming to a close.... the media is out there right now filming this whole charade. My successor may not be so... understanding of your previous deviances from god and society, I suggest you remove our media guests and then crush these things back to the sewers..." The commander nodded before speaking down his radio. Time : 14:00 The out of town police were put straight into action, moving on the Media and pushing them back well out of view of the protest. A message was read to the press and protestors by the commander, "This gathering has been declared unlawful as declared by Madagascar laws and the penal code. You are ordered to disperse immediately or you may be subject to arrest. Proportional Force has been authorised by the Secretary of Justice and may be used against you to ensure you're compliance" A thump broke up the chants of the protestors, silence temporarily filled the street before being broken by the sound of steel hitting the pavement filled the air. Gas hissed out of the canister filling the protestors with a teary cloud thick and disorientating. Thump, thump, thump was heard as more rounds hit the protest. The protestors looked to the building's roof to see heavily armoured men firing tear gas and rubber bullets indiscriminately into the crowd, it seemed the SWAT had arrived. Their semiautomatic rifles and sub machine guns present at their sides. With the press gone and out of sight. From the ground, the Mobile Intervention Group moved forward, swinging wildly at the protestors with large wooden sticks and more pepper spray and rubber bullet launchers. Multiple protestors fell to the ground, taking the full impact of rubber bullets. The police continued to advance onwards, beating protestors and dragging them into custody at any opportunity they got. With the main section of the road cleared, rocks and stones begun to hail down on the Mobile Intervention Group forcing them to raise their shields, this the media were able to see. 2 Officers took unlucky glances underneath their visors, knocking them right out. Further orders to stop were issued before shots rang out, protestors fell to the ground.. 2 killed instantly, 6 critically injured and 4 severely injured plus numerous walking wounded from shrapnel and glancing hits. The protestors rushed the men, women and children back before allowing them to be taken by ambulance to the local hospitals... to be met by detectives and officers for detention. The protests continued as a temporary lull in the fighting took hold. Those arrested were moved by police vans out of the area and to a secure police station for interrogation. ​

 

[Nathan]

Iavolha Palace

The Cabinet room of Iavolha Palace fell silent as the heavy doors swung open against the force of President Samuel. The Cabinet would be assembled, their phones seized in a lead lined box outside of the room. Media and Public were most definitely not welcome within the building, especially not the cabinet room. No recording or videoing of the meeting was recorded and Armed Police officers patrolled the perimeter of Madagascar's most secure official residence.

"Can one of you fuckers explain to me why there is a protest march in full view of the Media? What are you doing about it?"

The cabinet room turned to look towards the open mouthed Minister of Public Safety Godefroy Mahazaka

"Mr President... we have deployed one of the largest scale police forces this country has seen for many a generation.... we stopped the protest"

The President turns, before slamming a hand on the desk.

"Stopped? Stopped?? Yesterday there were 4,000 people on the streets... now another 4,000 people have joined them demanding to know where the people are that you're forces arrested. Another couple of thousand across this country, including in our very on capitol...we have men on our streets cheering for marx and trotsky.. I want to you to send a message that opposition to our government will not be productive to their cause. All of this taking place in the city with our largest naval base...."

"We cannot simply arrest ever single person who sings a song?"

"I'm not asking you to arrest them, you will work with our very own secretary of defence... and you will silence those who will to go against us. I have no doubts in Secretary Randriana's skill... I'm sure he would like to have a police force for his military. Secretary Randriana will deploy his men to deal with the situation up North... you will deal with the remaining rabble across our great nation."

"Is this legal?!"

"Deal...with....it!"

---

Antsiranana

For the hundreds of arrested men, women and children.. a sleepless night was in supply at the holding ground. Most were released in the early morning, ruled out of being intelligence interests by the forces, but for 20 men they were forced to stay behind. One by one, they were taken into a small room and interrogated by the local police forces.. beatings, stress positions and a all manner of violence was dished out to the men. The children, the youngest at 16, were not spared from the cruelty. Left in stress positions overnight, it had proved to be tough on their minds. Threats against the family were made, and names of potential organisers quickly gathered by the intelligence teams. (Not observable by media teams, families do not know where they are)

On the streets, 8,000 now gathered at a funeral for the fallen of yesterdays blood shed. Marching to a local graveyard, their path was blocked by the unmistakable blockade of Gendarme Nationale. Shots once again, ran out into the crowd.. forcing a retreat back for the mourners. A pall bearer toppled over, the coffin clattering down shortly behind him

"This is your final warning! A curfew has been declared in this province! Return to your home immediately and allow the family to peacefully grieve for those who have died! By order of the Governor, this gathering has been declared a unlawful one! You will be subject to arrest if you continue!"

The Protestors scrambled, throughout the streets before coming back at the the soldiers with rocks and projectiles. Tear gas and rubber bullets filled the cities air until darkness fell.

---

From their Homebase, 79 commandos from 1st Battalion, Special Operations Regiment take off in 4 Sikorsky MH-53M Pave Low IV from 403 Special Operations Aviation Squadron and escorted by 2 Sikorsky MH-60G Pave Hawks from 402 Special Operations Aviation Squadron to the city of Antsiranana. They will refuel enroute at a C130 which will be in position between the force and it's destination. The deployment is top secret, due to the remote nature of the airbase and the poor infrastructure of the local area, this would not realistically be captured by social media etc.

From Toamasina, a single chinook would swoop down and collect 12 men from the Air Forces 2nd Military Intelligence Squadron, they too would head North, stopping at various airports en route to refuel. The men brought civilian clothing, concealed pistols and knifes and an umbrella, in case it rained.

A Squadron 1st Naval Commando Battalion, located within Antisiranana Port begun to set up defences around the perimeter walls of the naval base. Machine guns, sniper posts and various spotting positions were established to cover the defensive perimeter of both the military and civilian sections of the port. On the water, troops from B Squadron joined the Navy's Antisiranana Port Protection Squad on the squads 9 MR-1050 Assaults, 3 PR-72P-class Corvette and 3 Type 037II Houjian-class missile boat to patrol the water ways of the harbour and stop suspicious vessels from reaching the Docked Naval Warships.

 

[Nathan]

The situation in the North of the Country continued, raids and arrests were made by the Armies Special Forces deployed yesterday as soon as they touched down. 30 more arrests were made but little was done to quell the violence. The prisoners held from earlier protests were released, but the beaten and bloodied men and children did nothing to dampen the spirits of the crowds. Talk was heard as more and more stones pelleted down onto the riot police in the city, a new group were seen on their way to the relatively undefended city of Ambilobe. A group of armed castle rustlers and ordinary citizens had formed an unlikely alliance hell bent on taking down the government.

A salvo of gunfire ripped through the streets from the security forces as citizens continued to fall back into the safety of the concrete buildings. It seemed the people needed a champion, and a champion is what they had found. Talk on the street was simple, a diversionary protest in Antsiranana would distract the security forces for just a long enough time to allow a militant group enough time to seize the undefended down from the police. Whatsapp groups fluttered in a frenzy as calls for healthy males to take on the task were made. The date and time was set, the civil war would begin.

---

For the Intelligence officers, an endless cycle of brutality was in full swing.. people would be brought in, beaten and names would quickly be spilt by the civilians. The men worked through the night to gather the information, kicking and punching those who felt otherwise. With each bit of intelligence, the security forces focused erroneously on a potential threat to the naval base, knowing that up to 10,000 civilians from across the province had descended upon it.

---

At the naval base, the naval commandos stood watch on the wall as thousands drew closer with placards and chants. The atmosphere was peaceful, the commandos stood guard on the perimeter walls as in guard towers commandos searched the crowds for weaponry. Hours past by and still no sign of any apparent weapons. Sundown was just on it's final legs when the radios begun to crackle into life, in the background the sounds of gunshots could be heard as a panicked voice filled the radio;

"This is Ambilobe Police Station! We're being over run, we're being over run! Wait.. wait! I'll come quietly!"

The radio cut off. The naval officer looked stunned at what had just been heard. He stopped for a moment to think...

"Fuck! Fuck! End this protest and prepare to move out"

The response was predictable... the sounds of machine guns and sniper rifles filled the end.. scattering the crowd from the walls.

---

In Ambilobe, the police station had been over run and a television production company seized.