On the way from Antsirabe to Morondava the landscape is getting more and more dry as you progress further West. This is where our driver Mr. Lai told us the story of “Zebu stealers” that terrorise these lands since ages.
Farming zebu is the main activity of the region
The hills here are covered in golden tall grass, but very often you can see the black patches where grass was burned out. There are 2 reasons, Lai explained: renewing the grazing fields for zebus, or it is actually the zebu stealers, who erase their traces by burning the grass behind them.
This has been a massive issue in this region, as the stealers gradually became AK47 armed bands that are not much threatened even by the state forces. So local villagers and farmers are left to sort out the issue themselves, turning the region into a lawless jungle.
This explained a bit the security situation in the region and the July attacks on tourist cars that we read about before setting off. Now (in Oct 2018) the situation was stable and measures were taken to minimise the risks for tourists.
However a couple of days after we left Tsingy our driver told us, that the villagers has blocked the road to Morondava. Apparently some months ago the villagers with their own means captured one of the top bandits and passed him to the state forces. Only to see him being released from prison a few months later.
So they cut the road so frequented by the tourists to bring some attention to the issue. Our driver found out about this from their facebook group, where drivers keep eachother up to date on the current state of things. Could be a good idea to nudge your driver to double check the situation at your destination day before you go there.
