Tensions are escalating between operators of Fasan'ny Karana parking lot and the Ministry of Transport and Meteorology. The operators staged a protest on National Road 7 (RN7) yesterday to oppose their relocation to the new bus station at Amoronakona. Mixed security forces were deployed to Ambatofotsy.

The demonstration by Fasan'ny Karana operators at Ambatofotsy on RN7 yesterday resulted in a fatality. A protester succumbed to his injuries. "We don't know the exact circumstances of his arrest, but police brought him in. He died from a severe head wound on the way to the hospital," a hospital source revealed. Law enforcement has not confirmed the death. Protesters blame police gunfire, while security officials attribute it to stone-throwing by demonstrators. "We deployed tear gas grenades to disperse protesters who were seriously disrupting public order with stones and barricades blocking traffic," a security representative stated. Several arrests were made, with detainees transported in a Mazda vehicle toward the city once calm was restored in Ambatofotsy.

The violent confrontation terrified Ambatofotsy residents, paralyzing daily life. Merchants closed shops and residents barricaded themselves indoors. "Both the protesters' noise and tear gas detonations frightened us. The gas suffocated us even with doors and windows closed," testified Finoana, a young neighborhood resident. Transporters and traders arrived in overcrowded vehicles, vandalized a road sign, and blocked the highway with three separate barricades: a felled tree trunk, stone blocks, and burning tires. Traffic remained completely halted for nearly two hours, causing kilometers of congestion on both sides. "We tried negotiating to clear the road, but they refused," lamented our source.

Road police stationed on the Bypass had earlier attempted to reason with protesters traveling toward Ambatofotsy with passengers dangerously seated on roof racks. "It's forbidden to transport people on roof racks," officers reminded drivers