Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina has reportedly left the country after days of mass protests and a rebellion by parts of the armed forces, with French state radio RFI saying he was flown out of the capital, Antananarivo, on a French military aircraft. (RFI)
Reports say the evacuation occurred hours before Rajoelina — who also holds French citizenship and returned to power in 2023 — was due to address the nation. The presidency had announced a 7pm (1600 GMT) national broadcast on Monday, but the president did not appear as planned. (Al Jazeera)
The move followed a dramatic escalation in unrest after an elite army unit, CAPSAT, joined youth-led demonstrations known as “Gen Z Madagascar,” which have been protesting corruption, chronic power and water shortages, and economic hardship. The shift in military allegiance helped swell crowds in central Antananarivo and hastened the breakdown of government control. (Reuters)
French and international outlets have reported that Rajoelina may have travelled onward from Madagascar to destinations such as La Réunion or Dubai after the initial evacuation, though his exact location remained unconfirmed in early reports. French President Emmanuel Macron was reported to have been involved in facilitating the evacuation. (RFI)
The unrest has been bloody: international agencies and media cite dozens dead in clashes and episodes of violence that accompanied the protests and looting, though official tolls vary and Rajoelina disputed some figures. The crisis was sparked in part by the arrest in September of two politicians who had planned a protest over utility outages. (Reuters)
As the situation unfolded, political leaders and military figures gave conflicting signals — with some units and gendarmerie officers publicly admitting “faults and excesses” in crowd-control operations, while others joined demonstrators and called on colleagues not to fire on civilians. The uncertainty deepened calls for dialogue even as institutions faced the risk of collapse. (DW News)
Developments are fluid and being reported by multiple international outlets. Authorities, protest leaders and international partners were all weighing next steps as Madagascar faced a rapidly evolving political crisis. (Reuters)