U.S. Envoy Says 100 Dead In Madagascar Unrest

`Over 100 are dead. I do not have exact figures,` ambassador Niels Marquardt told Reuters TV.

More than 100 people have been killed in civil unrest in Madagascar this week, the worst violence for years on the politically volatile Indian Ocean island, the U.S. ambassador said on Friday.

Police had previously confirmed 44 deaths, with most of those in a store that burned during looting on Monday when an anti-government protest degenerated into violence.

"Over 100 are dead. I do not have exact figures," ambassador Niels Marquardt told Reuters.

The mayor of Antananarivo, Andry Rajoelina, has been spearheading a week of demonstrations and strikes against President Marc Ravalomanana's government, which he accuses of turning Madagascar into a dictatorship.

The world's fourth largest island, with a population of 20 million, has a history of riots and instability. Its latest crisis will hurt efforts to attract tourists and foreign investors in the mine and oil sectors.

Rajoelina's supporters were planning another mass rally on Saturday in the city's main square. Analysts say the 34-year-old firebrand politician has galvanised popular frustration, and Ravalomanana is facing a serious threat to his grip on power.

Rajoelina has said he is ready to lead the country, and opposition parties on Friday backed him.

"We give Andry Rajoelina the mandate to lead all useful discussions towards a transitional regime in our name," the opposition parties said in a joint declaration.

FOREIGN CONCERN

The African Union, the United States, and ex-ruler France have called for calm and talks between the feuding sides.

"We call on Malagasy leaders and people to exercise restraint and avoid all further violence," said U.S. State Department spokesman Robert Wood.

Rajoelina said he would hold talks with the president if they focused on creating a new government. "I have been asked that they take place tomorrow (Saturday) and I have accepted," he said after meeting church leaders and foreign ambassadors.

Ravalomanana, a 59-year-old self-made millionaire who started out hawking yoghurt on the capital's streets, has said, however, that talks should be unconditional.

After a general strike on Thursday, a degree of normalcy returned to the capital on Friday, with banks re-opening and street-hawkers flogging peanuts and calling cards.

"I do not support the strike but I hope it leads to dialogue," said George Rakotarisoa, one of a handful of presidential supporters gathered at the city's main square, May 13 plaza, to call for end to the protests.

On Thursday, the president fired without explanation the national police chief General Lucien Raharijaona.

"It is not impossible that the head of state is looking for someone who will obey him and oppose Rajoelina's movement," said one gendarme officer on condition of anonymity.

Ties between the two deteriorated when government shut the mayor's privately owned TV station in December.

Ravalomanana has overseen a period of economic growth thanks to booming oil and mining sectors since coming to power in 2002. But many say he has not alleviated poverty.

Critics of Ravalomanana accuse him of running the country like a private company, earning himself the nickname "CEO of the Republic". The mayor is nicknamed "TGV" after the French term for a high-speed train.

Major foreign companies are investing heavily in Madagascar, including Rio Tinto and Sherritt International, which plan to extract nickel, bauxite, cobalt and ilmenite.