Afrique en ligne: “Int'l Red Cross raises concerns on Madagascar”

New York, US - An outbreak of violence in Madagascar's capital, Antananar ivo, has prompted concerns from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) about a possible humanitarian crisis.

``A week of anti-government protests that turned violent and resulted in the dea ths of an estimated 100 people raises concerns about a humanitarian situation in the Indian Ocean country,'' the Red Cross said in a statement in New York on Tuesday.

Olivier Gillabert, head of the ICRC mission in Madagascar, was quoted as saying that the Red Cross was urgently working to address escalating humanitarian needs.

Gillabert also said that the ICRC was working with the local Malagasy Red Cross Society to evacuate injured people as a result of the violence, looting and fires in Madagascar.

The statemen noted that a curfew imposed by security authorities in the country has reduced the violence, but Gillabert said aid workers were in ``urgent need of first aid materials, stretchers and medical supplies''.

The protests drew criticism on Monday from former African Union Chairman and Tan zanian President Jakaya Kikwete, who called the efforts to remove a democratically elected government unacceptable.