Antananarivo - Madagascar's military on Friday denied having killed any opposition supporters overnight, following reports that several demonstrators were killed during a security operation to retake four government ministries seized by protestors.

The military said no-one had been killed but that around 50 people were arrested when troops and riot police evicted a group of opposition supporters from ministry buildings in the capital Antananarivo in the early hours of Friday morning.

Several Malagasy radio stations reported that eight people had been shot dead by the military.

The latest standoff comes after several weeks of lethal clashes between the government and tens of thousands of protestors on the Indian Ocean island.

The opposition, led by former Antananarivo mayor Andry Rajoelina, had occupied the ministries on Thursday after four days of demonstrations, during which they had repeatedly threatened to install Rajoelina's own ministerial choices.

Friday's military statement did not say whether the soldiers had opened fire or not. Residents of adjacent neighbourhoods said they were woken in the night by the sound of gunfire.

On February 7, guards shot dead at least 28 unarmed demonstrators outside the presidential palace. Around 25,000 protestors marched on the ministry buildings on Thursday in a peaceful protest.

On Friday, the area was firmly back in the hands of security forces and the city, which has been convulsed by four weeks of demonstrations and riots that have claimed over 100 lives, was mostly calm.

State television reported that the official government ministers had been accompanied to their offices in the morning under heavy police protection.

At an opposition rally at midday Friday in a central square Rajoelina announced another march on government buildings for Saturday.

The opposition also denounced the latest reported killings and appealed to army officers and ordinary recruits that no longer supported the president to join their ranks.

Rajoelina accuses Ravalomanana of authoritarianism and mismanaging public funds and his government be replaced by an interim two-year government led by him.

The president has refused to step down, saying he is the country's rightful leader since being re-elected to a second five-year term in
2006.

Several rounds of talks between delegations from both sides have taken place over the past two weeks. United Nations special envoy Haile Menkerios is leading the mediation. (dpa)