Madagascar’s president, Andry Rajoelina, has reportedly fled the African nation, according to the opposition leader and other officials. This marks the second instance in recent weeks of young protesters toppling a government amid a global wave of Generation Z unrest.
Siteny Randrianasoloniaiko, the parliamentary opposition leader, informed Reuters that Mr Rajoelina had departed Madagascar on Sunday.
The president’s office, which had earlier announced that a national address would take place on Monday evening, declined to comment on the unfolding situation. Mr Rajoelina had been scheduled to deliver the address following an apparent coup attempt by an elite military unit, Capsat, which publicly demanded his resignation after joining anti-government protests.
This unit previously played a key role in bringing Mr Rajoelina to power as a transitional leader during a military-backed coup in 2009. Capsat has since asserted that it has taken charge of all armed forces across Madagascar.
President flees the country
A military source told Reuters that Mr Rajoelina flew out of the country on a French military aircraft on Sunday. French radio station RFI said he had struck a deal with the French president Emmanuel Macron.
The source said that a French army Casa aircraft landed in Madagascar’s Sainte Marie airport on Sunday. “Five minutes later, a helicopter arrived and transferred its passenger into the Casa,” the source said, adding that Mr Rajoelina was the passenger.
“We called the staff of the presidency and they confirmed that he left the country,” Mr Randrianasoloniaiko said, adding that Mr Rajoelina’s current whereabouts were unknown.
The president’s office, which had earlier said Mr Rajoelina would address the nation at 7pm (1600 GMT) on Monday, did not reply to requests for comment.
Responding to the reports, the French foreign ministry referred the Associated Press to a statement issued by the French embassy, which said: “No French military intervention is underway or planned in Madagascar, whose sovereignty and territorial integrity France fully respects.”
Madagascar is a former French colony, while Mr Rajoelina reportedly has French citizenship, which has previously been a source of discontent among Madagascans.
Elite unit claims control of the military
Mr Rajoelina hasn’t identified who was behind the attempted coup, but the Capsat military unit appeared to be in a position of authority and on Sunday appointed a general as the new head of Madagascar’s armed forces. The appointment was accepted by the minister of defence.
A commander of Capsat, Colonel Michael Randrianirina, said that his soldiers had exchanged gunfire with security forces who were attempting to quell weekend protests, and one of his soldiers was killed. But there was no major fighting on the streets, and soldiers riding on armoured vehicles and waving Madagascan flags were cheered by people in Antananarivo.
Mr Randrianirina said that the army had “responded to the people’s calls” but denied that a coup was in progress. Speaking at the country’s military headquarters on Sunday, he told reporters that it was up to the Madagascan people to decide what happens next, and whether Mr Rajoelina leaves power and a new election is held.
The US embassy in Madagascar advised American citizens to shelter in place because of a “highly volatile and unpredictable” situation. The African Union urged all parties, “both civilian and military, to exercise calm and restraint”.
Weeks of anti-government protests
Madagascar has been shaken by three weeks of the most significant unrest in years. The protests, which erupted on 25 September over water and electricity outages, were led by a group calling itself “Gen Z Madagascar”. The United Nations says the demonstrations left at least 22 people dead and dozens injured. The government has disputed this number.
The demonstrations snowballed into an expression of broader dissatisfaction with the government and the leadership of Mr Rajoelina. Protesters have raised a range of issues, including poverty and the cost of living, access to tertiary education, and alleged corruption and embezzlement of public funds by government officials, as well as their families and associates.
Civic groups and trade unions have also joined the protests, which resulted in night-time curfews being enforced in Antananarivo and other major cities.
The Gen Z protesters who inspired the uprising have mobilised over the internet and say they were inspired by other protests that toppled governments in Nepal and Sri Lanka.
A history of political crises
A number of Madagascar’s leaders have previously been removed in coups, and the country has a history of political crises since it gained independence from France in 1960.
Mr Rajoelina, now 51, first came to prominence as the leader of a transitional government following a 2009 coup that forced the then president, Marc Ravalomanana, to flee the country and lose power. Mr Rajoelina was elected president in 2018, and was re-elected in 2023 in a vote boycotted by opposition parties.
Additional reporting by Reuters
