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 MADAGASCAR
Humanitarian Country Profile | | Background | Last update: February 2007 |
Madagascar is home to 5 percent of the world's plant and animal species, 80 percent of which are found nowhere else on Earth. It is prone to a variety of disasters and over the past 35 years, the Indian Ocean island has experienced at least 46 catastrophic events, including cyclones, droughts, epidemics, floods, famines and locust infestations, cumulatively affecting more than 11 million people.
Its history is marked by a struggle for control. By 1700, France and England had attempted to establish settlements, while the rulers of the island's many kingdoms fought for dominance. In the 18th century a strong Merina monarchy developed on the central plateau and, with British help, proceeded to establish hegemony over most of the island, including the coast.
The Merina reign came to an end when French marines landed on the island in the 1880s and France instituted colonial rule. After Madagascar gained independence in 1960, assassinations, military coups and disputed elections featured prominently.
Peace and security
Didier Ratsiraka took power in a military coup in 1975 and ruled until 2001, with a short break when he was ousted in the early 1990s. When Marc Ravalomanana and Ratsiraka both claimed victory after presidential elections in December 2001, Ratsiraka's supporters tried to blockade the capital, Antananarivo, which was pro-Ravalomanana. After eight months of sporadic violence with considerable economic disruption, a recount in April 2002 led the High Constitutional Court to pronounce Ravalomanana president, but it was not until July that Ratsiraka fled to France and Ravalomanana gained control of the country.
Internal conflict in Madagascar has been minimal in recent years and any tension is generally associated with elections. A presidential election took place in December 2006, with some protests over worsening standards of living, despite a government drive to eradicate poverty. Calls by a retired army general in November 2006 for Ravalomanana to step down were said to have been 'misinterpreted' as a coup attempt. The incident left one soldier dead but did not appear to ruffle the military and the country remained calm.
IDPs/Refugees
Madagascar's net migration remains close to zero. Government policy has been consistently opposed to immigration, but there is some rural-to-urban migration. Given the low level of economic development, Madagascar maintains it cannot take in unlimited numbers of refugees.
Independence led to some emigration of foreign nationals, but foreign residents only began leaving in appreciable numbers in the early 1970s when the government nationalised foreign businesses. There were around 60,000 Comorans on Madagascar in 1976, but after Comoran-Malagasy clashes in December that year, about 16,000 Comorans were repatriated.
According to the latest statistics of the United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR, in 2004 there were only 34 refugees in Madagascar, and 135 Malagasy refugees abroad, mainly in France.
Democracy and governance
Madagascar is a multiparty democracy but its institutions remain weak. A culture of non-accountability by public officials has fostered corruption and the country was ranked at 84 out of 163 countries in the 2006. Transparency International
Since 2002, Ravalomanana and his party, Tiako-I-Madagasikara (TIM) have dominated political life. In an attempt to restrict the power and influence of the president, the prime minister and the 150-seat parliament have been given greater power in recent years.
With more than 65 percent of the votes, Ravalomanana took the 2006 polls and will stay on for a second term. International observers generally endorsed the election as free and fair.
Media
Freedom of speech and the press are protected by the constitution. Despite relative freedom of expression, the most serious media problem lies in politics. Too often, politicians use the press as a weapon and a forum for disputes. Strict libel laws are frequently used against private media outlets unsupportive of the government, and journalists often face prison for defamation.
According to Reporters Without Borders, a press freedom watchdog, the authorities occasionally pressure media outlets to curb their coverage of certain issues; opposition politicians are rarely given access to state-run media, and some journalists practise self-censorship. Nationwide radio and television broadcasting remains a state monopoly but a number of local, privately owned stations operates across the country.
Threats and violent attacks directed at members of the press and media outlets increased sharply during the 2002 political crisis, but largely subsided when order was restored. Some private media journalists protested against government threats and attempts to muzzle the press as campaigning heated up for the 2006 elections.
Economy
The political crisis in 2002 devastated the economy and disrupted already weak healthcare and education systems. With more than three-quarters of the population in rural areas exposed to extreme weather conditions - tropical cyclones and floods left thousands homeless in 2000 and 2004 - malnutrition and food insecurity are chronic. While 50 percent of Madagascar's land is arable, less than 10 percent is cultivated due to lack of roads, irrigation infrastructure, farming equipment and credit facilities. Poverty and competition for agricultural land have put pressure on the island's dwindling forests, threatening the unique flora and fauna.
The country is heavily dependent on donor funding: total official development assistance for 2004 was US$1,2 billion, 28.3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), according to the 2006 UN Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Report. The country is classified as a low-income food-deficit nation - the Report placed Madagascar at 143rd out of 177 countries - but abundant natural resources offer real potential for growth.
Agriculture dominates the economy, accounting for a third of GDP, although manufacturing is expanding. Most of the population depends on subsistence farming, based on rice and cattle. A poorly developed transport infrastructure constitutes a major constraint to strong economic growth that could reduce poverty and improve food insecurity.
GDP per capita reached $857 in 2004. According to the World Bank, Madagascar recorded the fifth-lowest rate of GDP growth in the world (0.5 percent per annum) for more than three decades. The UNDP Human Development Report put economic growth between 1990 and 2004 at -1.1 percent. The political crisis in the first half of 2002 brought the economy to a virtual standstill, reversing some of the progress made previously.
In 2003 the economy rebounded to a growth rate of 9.8 percent, bringing GDP to just below its 2001 level. In 2004, the economy grew at about 5 percent, despite sustaining significant shocks from high oil prices and two cyclones. Rising oil prices and problems with electricity supply slowed economic growth in 2005 to 4.6 percent, but overall growth in the medium term is expected to be above 5 percent.
Coffee, vanilla, sugarcane, cloves, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), beans, bananas, peanuts and livestock products are prominent in the country's agricultural sector. The industrial sector consists mainly of meat processing, soap, breweries, tanneries, sugar, textiles, glassware, cement, paper, petroleum and automobile assembly. Tourism is set to play a larger role.
Conglomerates recently descended on the island to compete over a new oil find. At current prices, industry estimates were that the oil could translate into annual revenue of $1 billion.
Population
According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Madagascar has a population of 19.1 million (2006) with an average projected growth rate of 2.6 percent between 2005 and 2010. Fertility rates are high at 5.04 children per woman, and about 45 percent of the population is less than 15 years old. Life expectancy is 54.7 years for men and 57.2 years for women.
Despite Madagascar's proximity to mainland Africa, its population and culture are unique. The forebears of the present population originated mainly in Southeast Asia and East Africa, with the Asian element predominant in the highlands (often referred to as Merina), and the African and Arab element predominant in the coastal areas (known generally as Cotiers).
Malagasy and French are the official languages, but Hovba and other local dialects are also spoken. Madagascar's population is 41 percent Christian, 7 percent Muslim, and approximately 52 percent follow indigenous beliefs.
Development indicators
Madagascar is one of the world's poorest countries and there is significant malnutrition, even among the children of the richest 20 percent of the population; 61 percent live on less than $1 per day and 85 percent live on less than $2 a day, according to the UNDP Human Development Report 2006.
Food deprivation remains a challenge, with 38 percent of the population undernourished, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). UN statistics indicate that more than 40 percent of children under five are moderately or severely underweight.
Despite an economic recovery at the end of the 1990s, living conditions in rural areas, where about three-quarters of the population live, remain a challenge. Preliminary estimates from a 2004-2005 household survey show an encouraging decline in poverty from 80 percent in 2002 (estimated at the peak of the crisis) to 68.7 percent in 2005 - slightly less than the 2001 level of 69.7 percent. Particularly important is the decline in rural poverty from 77.2 percent in 2001 to 73.5 percent in 2005.
The country is making progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), particularly in education and nutrition. Progress in the health-related MDGs is also encouraging. However, it is unlikely that most of the MDGs will be achieved if current trends continue.
Education
The development of educational opportunities has had a remarkable effect, most notably on raising the literacy level of the general population. UNICEF has said only 39 percent of the population could be considered literate in 1966, but this had risen to more than 70 percent by 1990, according to the UN's Millennium Development Goals Indicators.
Madagascar has seen strong improvement in implementing the 'Education for All' programme. According to the World Bank, since the government declared free, compulsory primary education in 2002, the net enrolment rate has increased significantly from 70 percent in 2002 to more than 90 percent in 2005, and the completion rate has gone up from about 40 to 60 percent.
Children
Children make up more than half the population. UNICEF noted that the number of children who die before their fifth birthday had declined, but an average of more than 160 children still die each day from preventable causes, such as malaria, diarrhoea and acute respiratory illnesses.
Half of all children under five suffer from some form of malnutrition and about 2.5 million children - one in every four - do not have a birth certificate. Every day, five babies are born HIV-positive. UNAIDS estimated in 2004 that 30,000 children had been orphaned by HIV/AIDS. According to UNICEF, the sexual exploitation of girls aged 10-17 is a growing concern.
The law prohibits child labour until the age of 14, and dangerous work until the age of 18, but UNICEF estimates that more than one-fifth of all children (aged 5-14) work, some in hazardous conditions, such as mining and stone cutting.
Health
The latest Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) conducted by USAID www.measuredhs.com provides broad evidence of Madagascar's success in improving many health indicators: immunisation rates improved from 62 percent in 2002 to 87 percent in 2005; infant/child mortality decreased from 164 per 1,000 in 1997 to 94 in 2005. Madagascar has built a well-designed malnutrition programme, and chronic malnutrition declined from 43 percent in 1997 to 35 percent in 2004/2005.
Despite these successes, only 65 percent of Madagascar's population has access to basic healthcare services and 47 percent to clean drinking water.
HIV/AIDS
HIV infection rates and cases of AIDS seem far lower than on the African mainland. The government's commitment to fighting the syndrome remains high and the health community is unified in believing that without swift and sustained intervention it is only a matter of time before HIV/AIDS will become a crisis.
UNAIDS has put the HIV prevalence rate for adults aged 15-49 at 0.5 percent. Awareness and knowledge of ways of avoiding infection have improved, but UNAIDS estimates that only 16 percent of men and 19 percent of women aged 15 to 24 can identify ways of preventing HIV.
The multisectoral HIV/AIDS Secretariat, in the president's office, is now fully operational. Implementation of the national strategy is progressing well and harmonisation among bilateral and multilateral partners has been strengthened. Collaboration with numerous NGOs, community-based organisations and faith-based organisations has also improved.
Food security
Madagascar is plagued by chronic food insecurity, particularly in the southeast. Repeated floods in the coastal areas in 2005, recent insect infestation, cyclones and drought have caused food security to deteriorate steadily. As a result, nutrition levels are precarious and children are most at risk, as evidenced by the high level of malnourished children.
According to the most recent nutritional assessment by government agencies and UNICEF, 20.4 percent of children suffered from global acute malnutrition (GAM), with higher rates in more remote areas. Chronic malnutrition in children, resulting in stunting, is an indication of long-term under-nutrition and poor consumption. The latest Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis (CFSVA) by the World Food Programme (WFP) found 45 percent of children were stunted at 24 months of age. Stunting is more prevalent in rural areas (46 percent) than in urban areas (39 percent).
Although about 80 percent of the population reside in rural areas and are engaged in agriculture, food production does not meet domestic needs. The high level of household food insecurity is related to the frequent exposure to shocks and limited options for livelihood strategies. Falling world commodity prices (mainly for coffee, cloves and vanilla) have resulted in a sharp drop in income, forcing many households to buy food on credit.
Gender issues
According to the UNDP Human Development Report 2006, in 2004 the literacy rate for men was 76.5 percent and 65.3 percent for women. The primary-school enrolment ratio for male and female students had climbed to 1:1, but girls leave school more often than boys because of the burden of household chores, parents' views on the importance of girls' education, concern for girls' safety, and a lack of gender-sensitive school environments.
The position of women is weakest in the political sphere: women received the right to vote and to stand in elections in 1959, yet in 2004 only 8.4 percent of seats in parliament were held by women.
Human rights
Madagascar has signed or ratified five of the six principal international human rights treaties. Human rights have been generally respected and although the death penalty remains in force, it has not been applied for more than 40 years.
Despite government commitment to human rights, judicial proceedings against people associated with the Ratsiraka government, including those suspected of human rights abuses during the 2002 crisis, were often unfair, according to Amnesty International. Lengthy pre-trial detention further undermined the rights of detainees.
The government has, on occasion, restricted freedom of expression and assembly. There have been some cases of police using excessive force and prison conditions are harsh, sometimes life-threatening. Reports have suggested social discrimination against women, with sporadic incidents of violence. There have also been reports of racial violence against the Merina community.
Humanitarian needs
Madagascar needs assistance with unrelenting food shortages and chronic malnutrition. The majority lack access to clean water and sanitation.
Further assistance is needed in disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness, and infrastructure development. The island is subject to a variety of natural disasters, particularly cyclones along the eastern coast, which often cause extensive long-term damage. |
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| Madagascar in figures | · Population: 19.1 million
· Pop. growth rate (%): 2.6
· GDP per capita: $857
· Pop. below poverty line (US$1 a day) (%): 61
· Life expectancy: 55.6 years
· Infant mortality: 76 per 1,000
· Population undernourished (%): 38
· HIV prevalence (%): 0.5
· Access to clean water (%): 50
· Access to electricity: unavailable
· Adult literacy rate (%): 77 (men), 65 (women)
· Doctors/people: 29/100,000
· Displaced people: unavailable
· Refugees: unavailable
· Human Development Index: 0.509 (HDI 2006 Rank 143)
Source: UNDP |
| Basic facts | Capital: Antananarivo
Language: Malagasy and French
Ethnic Groups: Malayo-Indonesian (Merina and related Betsileo), Cotiers (mixed African, Malayo-Indonesian, and Arab ancestry - Betsimisaraka, Tsimihety, Antaisaka, Sakalava), French, Indian, Creole, Comoran
Religions %: indigenous beliefs 52%, Christian 41%, Muslim 7%
Geography: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Mozambique. World's fourth-largest island; strategic location along Mozambique Channel
Border countries: Island east of Mozambique
Natural resources: graphite, chromite, coal, bauxite, salt, quartz, tar sands, semiprecious stones, mica, fish, hydropower
Agriculture products: coffee, vanilla, sugarcane, cloves, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), beans, bananas, peanuts, livestock products
Sources: EIU, Reuters AlertNet, NI, BBC |
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