( CNN ) -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged the leaders of Madagascar to resolve their differences after an anti-government rally a day earlier turned violent and left more than two dozen people dead . Protesters rally Saturday before violence broke out near the Presidential Palace . In a statement issued by his spokesperson , Ban deplored the violence and called Sunday on authorities `` to urgently initiate a fair process by which those responsible will be brought to justice . '' Ban also blamed the `` tragedy '' on a `` lack of restraint on all sides . '' `` The Secretary-General calls upon all concerned parties to resolve their differences through peaceful and democratic means and through the exercise of responsible leadership , '' according to the statement . A police official said the death toll from Saturday 's violence outside the Presidential Palace in the capital city of Antananarivo had risen to 26 . More than 80 were injured during the demonstration , officials said . The capital city was quiet as mourners attended a public ceremony for the dead . The violence stemmed from an ongoing dispute over who is in charge of the government . Andry Rajoelina , the mayor of Antananarivo , took to the streets one week ago , declaring himself the Indian Ocean island nation 's leader after a week of violence and looting that killed at least 80 people and wounded more than 300 . Watch an iReport on the Madagascar violence » . But President Marc Ravalomanana has fired him and put someone else in the mayoral job . Rajoelina had called the rally to unveil his new government at the May 13th Plaza , according to Brittany Martin , an American citizen who is a Harvard Fellow and lives in Antananarivo . Martin said the rally was peaceful in the morning hours of Saturday , until gunshots rang out in the afternoon after the protesters marched from the plaza to the palace . She said it was unclear where the shots were coming from . Some media reports blamed foreign mercenaries for the shootings ; others said army guards were responsible or that the army was firing at the mercenaries to protect the crowd . Violence in Madagascar began January 26 , when protesters stormed state-run television and radio stations in Antananarivo . Hours earlier , the government had shut down a radio station owned by Rajoelina and , weeks ago , had similarly shut down Rajoelina 's television station after it aired an interview with ex-President Didier Ratsiraka . See pictures from last week 's upheaval » . Ravalomanana took power in 2001 after ousting Ratsiraka in a tense , hotly contested election . Ratsiraka fled to France afterward . Loyalists blame Ratsiraka 's family members for inciting the recent trouble . Anger has risen in Madagascar , where the World Bank says the average person earns about $ 320 a year , over reports that Ravalomanana recently bought a $ 60 million airplane . Rajoelina has urged supporters to demand the resignation of Ravalomanana and said he planned to take charge until a transition government could be established in the nation off Africa 's southeastern coast . Map » . `` What we 've been pushing for is dialogue the whole time , '' said Rodney Ford , a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy . He said he had received reports that palace guards used tear gas and shot into the air to try and disperse the crowd . Journalist Dregoire Pourtier in Antananarivo , Madagascar , contributed to this report .
Ban blames the `` tragedy '' on a `` lack of restraint on all sides '' more than 80 dead , 26 wounded during an anti-government rally on weeks ago . Violence stems from a dispute over who is in charge of the government . Andry Rajoelina , the mayor of Madagascar , declares himself Antananarivo 's leader .