Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina fled the country after the military sided with young protesters, marking the second time a youth-led movement toppled a government in just over a month.
Youth-led demonstrations against Rajoelina began on Sept. 25. Originally in protest of soaring utility prices, demonstrators morphed their cries into broader expressions of discontent over government corruption, poverty, and the general cost of living. The leaders of the protests labelled themselves “Gen Z Madagascar,” claiming direct inspiration from last month’s Nepalese protesters.
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Protests turned violent after a heavy-handed government response, ultimately leading to at least 22 deaths. The turning point came on Sunday after the elite CAPSAT military unit, which had brought Rajoelina to power, defected and joined the protesters.
Siteny Randrianasoloniaiko, leader of the opposition in parliament, told Reuters that Rajoelina left Madagascar on Sunday after CAPSAT defected and joined the protesters. The unit exchanged fire with loyalist units, losing one soldier but quickly consolidating control over the rest of the military. The unit then escorted thousands of protesters to the main square of the capital, Antananarivo, according to Reuters.
CAPSAT commander Col. Michael Randrianirina told the outlet that there wasn’t a coup but that the agency had “responded to the people’s calls.”
Media outlets began reporting that Rajoelina fled the country on Sunday, something confirmed by the president himself soon after.
“I was forced to find a safe place to protect my life,” he said in a speech intended to be broadcast on state media stations but relegated to his Facebook page after soldiers prevented it from airing. Despite this, he refused to step down, calling for dialogue “to find a way out of this situation” and vowing he would not “allow Madagascar to be destroyed.”
Despite this, he took several actions indicating his flight abroad was one-way. French radio RFI reported that the president struck a deal with French President Emmanuel Macron before leaving on a French military plane. One of his last acts before leaving was to pardon two French nationals, Paul Maillot Rafanoharana and Francois Marc Philippe, who were convicted over an attempted coup in 2021, according to Reuters.
Several major airlines suspended flights to Madagascar amid the chaos, while the United States Embassy urged American citizens in the country to shelter in place due to a “highly volatile and unpredictable” situation.
The government overthrow followed a nearly identical script to that which took down Nepal’s government last month. There, youth-led protesters angered by corruption took to the streets, organized over social media, and violently clashed with government forces, then prevailed after the military failed to support the incumbent government.