Traffic around Ambohitsoa-Mahazoarivo was blocked yesterday morning. Local traders demonstrated in the street at the intersection leading to Mahazoarivo, throwing bricks onto the road and burning wood debris to block the path.
The cause: the demolition of about ten kiosks built on the sidewalk by the Urban Commune of Antananarivo.
“Our activity does not cause traffic jams. It even provides a service to local residents. Why remove us from here?” the protesters asked. According to them, they have been established there for 20 years and no authority has ever evicted them.
The market management department of the Urban Commune of Antananarivo confirmed that it had carried out the demolitions, with about ten kiosks destroyed. “Our mission is clear: urban planning and formalization. What was illegal has been removed in order to reorganize the city,” stated its director, Gilles Randrianatoandro.
This operation highlights the divergent interests of the two parties. On one side, the traders defend their activity, which has been their source of income for several years. On the other, the municipality intends to reorganize public space and put an end to occupations deemed illegal. However, no details were provided regarding a possible relocation site for the affected merchants, who now find themselves deprived of their means of work.
Captured & Published at: 2026-10-17 05:38:56 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/10/mahazoarivo-des-commercants-bloquent-la.html