Madagascar President Flees as Military Withdraws Support
ANTANANARIVO, MADAGASCAR – President Andry rajoelina has reportedly fled the country as support from a key army unit evaporated amid escalating protests over corruption, poverty, and chronic infrastructure failures. The dramatic shift follows days of demonstrations led by youth activists known as “Gen Z Madagascar” who have demanded his resignation.
The crisis began on September 19 with the arrest of two politicians planning a protest against ongoing power and water outages. This sparked widespread unrest, initially met with a heavy-handed response from security forces – including gendarmerie officers – resulting in at least 22 deaths according to the UN, a figure Rajoelina disputed, stating “12 confirmed deaths and all of thes individuals were looters and vandals.” Madagascar has a history of political instability, including a 2009 coup that brought Rajoelina to power after mass protests ousted then-President Marc Ravalomanana.
A turning point came with the open defiance of soldiers from the elite Capsat unit, who played a critically important role in the 2009 coup. On Saturday, Capsat soldiers posted a video online urging fellow military, gendarmes, and police to “refuse to be paid to shoot our friends, our brothers and our sisters.” They called for a unified front, instructing colleagues to ”close the gates, and await our instructions,” and to disregard orders to fire on fellow citizens.
The movement had previously rejected an invitation to dialog with Rajoelina. On Monday, thousands of protesters flooded a square in front of Antananarivo city hall, with some demonstrators even climbing onto military vehicles as they arrived. The gendarmerie had previously admitted to “faults and excesses” in their handling of the protests.
