On Monday (October 13), opposition leaders and government officials in the African island nation of Madagascar announced that the president had fled the country after some military units mutinied and declared their support for the protesters, with his current whereabouts unknown. This marks the second government to be quickly overturned by young protesters following Nepal amidst the ongoing global protests by the “Z Generation” for several weeks.
President Andry Rajoelina of Madagascar addressed the public via social media video on Monday evening, stating that due to threats to his personal safety, he had relocated to a “secure location,” without disclosing his specific whereabouts. As pressure mounts for his resignation, he urged all parties to resolve the current crisis while adhering to the constitution.
The elite force CAPSAT, which assisted Rajoelina in seizing power in the 2009 coup, joined thousands of protesters in the capital Antananarivo last Saturday, marking a significant turning point in the anti-government protests that have been ongoing for over two weeks. The force had previously declared their refusal to follow orders to use force and criticized the gendarmerie for employing harsh tactics against protesters, resulting in several fatalities.
Following this, CAPSAT announced the takeover of the military, prompting President Rajoelina to issue a warning on Sunday accusing them of attempting to seize control of the African island nation. On Monday, military leaders who support the protest movement formally took charge of the gendarmerie.
The demonstrations erupted on September 25, primarily initiated by young people, initially focusing on the long-standing issues of power outages and water shortages in this impoverished country. However, it quickly evolved into a broader anti-government movement targeting corruption, government incompetence, and the lack of basic services, demanding the president’s resignation.
This wave of protests inspired by the “Z Generation” from countries like Kenya and Nepal has become the largest protest movement in Madagascar in recent years, posing the most serious challenge for Rajoelina since his reelection in 2023.
The president had previously deployed police to quell the protests. According to United Nations statistics, since September 25, at least 22 people have died and over a hundred have been injured.