Madagascar police fired tear gas and rubber bullets Thursday as protests in the capital Antananarivo over repeated water and electricity outages spiralled into chaos with looting and arson.

The Indian Ocean island is one of the poorest countries on the globe despite vast natural resources.

Police patrolled the capital in large numbers from early morning after authorities banned the demonstration the day before, citing the risk of public disorder.

But the protesters defied the order and tried to break through a police barricade to reach their planned meeting point in the Ambohijatovo district in central Antananarivo.

They waved banners reading: "Let us make our rights heard," "Stop a life of yellow jerrycans and darkness," and "We don't want trouble, we just want our rights."

Protester

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