BREAKING: President Sacks Minister Over Electricity Outages [DETAILS]

BREAKING: President Sacks Minister Over Electricity Outages [DETAILS]

Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina has sacked the country’s energy minister following daily power outages that last over 12 hours.

The decision comes after days of public protests demanding urgent government action over crippling electricity and water shortages affecting homes and businesses. Some people accused Rajoelina’s government of failing to improve living conditions.

The authorities imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew after banks and shops were robbed and set on fire and the houses of three pro-government parliamentarians were torched.

Five protesters were killed in the violence, a hospital source said. AFP has not been able to verify the toll from official sources.

A station of Antananarivo’s new cable car system – one of the government’s flagship infrastructure projects – was also set on fire.

Besides the capital, the authorities on Friday placed four other major cities – Antsiranana, Majunga, Toliara and Antsirabe – under an extended nightime curfew.

During what were termed “peaceful demonstrations”, police used rubber bullets to disperse crowds, resulting in five deaths. The African Union has since urged restraint and called for dialogue to address the growing unrest in the East African nation as the protest enters its third day.