ZEBU WAR
February 2013 - Andriry Mountains, Village of Andorisa, Madagascar - Mr. Jean-Baptiste poses with his wife and children in the ruins of their house. "We were coming back from the rice fields when we saw the soldiers burning our house. I remember it well, it was on a Monday around noon. They took one of our zebus to eat it.".The Tandroka military operation was mainly carried out in the Andriry mountains, one of the most remote areas in southern Madagascar, where the main dahalo (zebu thieves) are supposed to live, according to the authorities. The villages are very isolated and only accessible on foot. There are no roads, no telephone network, no electricity..Operation Tandroka was a large-scale military operation, launched by the authorities in December 2012 to try to eradicate the phenomenon of zebu thefts and trafficking. The soldiers were quickly accused of having committed abuses and torture on villagers during their raids.