Several senior officers were able to manipulate the army, which led to the ousting of Ramanantsoa on February 5, 1975.
Six days following his taking office, Ratsimandrava was gunned down at 8 p.m. while driving from the presidential palace to his home.
It claimed that the President had been killed by members of the Republican Security Forces (Groupe Mobile de Police-GMP),[2] a counterinsurgency outfit dissolved by his predecessor.
[3] The event nearly plunged the country into civil war between supporters of the military government and former President Tsiranana.
[4] L'assassinat du president Ratsimandrava, Le Journal La Croix (1975).