Madagascar’s ousted president vowed on Monday to return to the country within weeks and defended the vast land deal with a South Korean company that sparked the protests that led to his downfall.

Speaking to reporters in Johannesburg, Marc Ravalomanana staunchly defended his plan to lease huge tracts of the Indian Ocean island to South Korea’s Daewoo, a project his opponents used to whip up the popular unrest that culminated in a military-backed takeover last month.