Madagascar’s presidency announced on Sunday that an attempt to seize power was in progress as additional soldiers joined a youth-led protest movement that has shaken the nation for over two weeks.
The unrest deepened after members of the elite CAPSAT military unit which helped President Andry Rajoelina seize power in a 2009 coup declared their support for the demonstrators and urged fellow soldiers to disobey government orders. The protests, which began on 25 September over water and electricity shortages, have evolved into a broader movement demanding Rajoelina’s resignation, an apology for violence against protesters, and the dissolution of the Senate and electoral commission.
In a statement broadcast on Real TV, officers from the CAPSAT unit said they had assumed control of the country’s security operations and appointed General Demosthene Pikulas as head of the army. The unit also claimed to be coordinating with the paramilitary gendarmerie, which announced its withdrawal of support from the government on Sunday.
“All use of force and any improper behaviour towards our fellow citizens are prohibited, as the gendarmerie is a force meant to protect people and not to defend the interests of a few individuals,” the Intervention Forces of the National Gendarmerie said.
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The presidency confirmed what it described as “an attempted illegal and forcible seizure of power,” urging dialogue to resolve the growing crisis. However, the whereabouts of President Rajoelina remained unclear, though his office said late Saturday that he and the prime minister were “fully in control of the nation’s affairs.”
Witnesses reported sporadic gunfire near the CAPSAT barracks in Antananarivo, injuring at least three people, though no major clashes were ongoing by Sunday morning.
The demonstrations, led largely by Madagascar’s Gen Z population, have drawn parallels with similar youth-driven movements in Kenya and Nepal. Many protesters have been seen wearing shirts featuring the “One Piece” skull emblem, a symbol shared by movements in Indonesia and Peru.
On Sunday, thousands gathered peacefully in the capital’s May 13 Square long a focal point of political uprisings to honour a CAPSAT soldier allegedly killed by the gendarmerie a day earlier. The event drew church leaders, opposition politicians, including former President Marc Ravalomanana, and members of the military.
Madagascar, where the median age is under 20 and nearly three-quarters of the 30 million population live in poverty, has been a frequent hotspot of political instability since its independence from France.
The African Union’s Commission Chair, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, called for calm and restraint. Meanwhile, Air France-KLM temporarily suspended flights between Paris and Antananarivo from 11 to 13 October, citing the volatile security situation.
