Madagascan pro-opposition armed forces successfully forced into a presidential palace on Monday evening in the downtown of Antananarivo, Madagascar's capital, but President Marc Ravalomanana was not inside the building.
Bursts of gunfire and two rocket explosion were heard around 7 p.m. local time (1600 GMT) on Monday and soldiers were positioned around the palace, ready to enter the presidential compound.
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Soldiers are seen after two tanks, backed by troops, forced their way into a presidential palace in Antananarivo March 16, 2009. [Xinhua]
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There has been no shooting since the initial burst of gunfire and explosions when the soldiers began storming into the palace complex with two tanks, backed by armed troops, forced their way into the palace up on a hill of the city center.
One rocket, fired by the armed troops which showed their support to the opposition against Ravalomanana, missed its target to hit the Central Bank building nearby, a police official told Xinhua through telephone.
There were two presidential palaces in the capital city, one at Ambohitsorohitra, which was taken over by the armed troops, and the other in Iavoloha, some 10 km south of the city center.
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A soldier runs while holding a weapon, after two tanks backed by troops forced their way into a presidential palace, in Antananarivo March 16, 2009. [Xinhua]
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Thousands of Ravalomanana's supporters had gathered around the palace at Iavoloha, blocking all the roads to and from the main gate of the presidential palace to avoid possible attack against the president.
The opposition failed to take over the presidential palace at Ambohitsorohitra on February 7, when armed troops guarding the palace opened fire at anti-government demonstrators, killing dozens of them.