Madagascar's President Andry Rajoelina reportedly flees country as military unit joins protesters

After weeks of anti-government protests, President Andry Rajoelina has reportedly left the country, shortly before he was due to address the nation on state TV.

The President of Madagascar, Andry Rajoelina, has left the country after an elite military unit turned against the government in an apparent coup, an opposition lawmaker in the Indian Ocean country said Monday.

The lawmaker's comments came shortly before Rajoelina was due to appear on national television to make a speech to the people of Madagascar.

Rajoelina’s office said that his speech would be broadcast on state television and radio at 7 p.m. local time (1600 GMT) but didn’t say if the president was still in Madagascar amid reports he had fled following weeks of deadly anti-government protests.

Those protests, which were initially led by youth groups, reached a turning point on Saturday when soldiers from the elite CAPSAT military unit accompanied demonstrators to a square in the capital, Antananarivo, and called for Rajoelina and several government ministers to leave office.

The unit, which helped Rajoelina first come to power as transitional leader in a military-backed coup in 2009, said that it had taken charge of all the armed forces in Madagascar.

Siteny Randrianasoloniaiko, the leader of the opposition in parliament, said that Rajoelina “ran away” from the country on Sunday after soldiers turned against him.

Whereabouts unknown

Rajoelina’s office said on Sunday that “an attempt to seize power illegally and by force” was underway in the nation of 31 million off the east coast of Africa. Rajoelina’s current whereabouts are unknown and a spokesperson for the president didn’t respond to phone calls and messages.

French state radio RFI reported that Rajoelina was evacuated on a French military plane after agreeing a deal with President Macron.

The French Embassy in Antananarivo issued a statement saying that “no French military intervention is underway or planned in Madagascar, whose sovereignty and territorial integrity France fully respects.”

Madagascar is a former French colony, while Rajoelina reportedly has French citizenship, which has previously been a source of discontent among Madagascans.

Elite military unit

Rajoelina hasn’t identified who was behind the attempted coup, but the CAPSAT military unit appeared to be in a position of authority and on Sunday appointed a general as the new head of Madagascar’s armed forces, which was accepted by the defense minister.

A commander of CAPSAT, Colonel Michael Randrianirina, said that his soldiers had exchanged gunfire with security forces who were attempting to quell weekend protests, and one of his soldiers was killed. But there was no major fighting on the streets, and soldiers riding on armored vehicles and waving Madagascar flags were cheered by people in Antananarivo.

Randrianirina said that the army had “responded to the people’s calls,” but denied there was a coup. Speaking at the country’s military headquarters on Sunday, he told reporters that it was up to the Madagascan people to decide what happens next, and if Rajoelina leaves power and a new election is held.

The US Embassy in Madagascar advised American citizens to shelter in place because of a “highly volatile and unpredictable” situation. The African Union urged all parties, “both civilian and military, to exercise calm and restraint.”

Weeks of protests

Madagascar has been shaken by three weeks of the most significant unrest in years. The anti-government protests, which erupted on September 25 over water and electricity outages, were led by a group calling itself “Gen Z Madagascar.” The United Nations says the demonstrations left at least 22 people dead and dozens injured. The government has disputed this number.

The protests snowballed into larger dissatisfaction with the government and the leadership of Rajoelina. The demonstrators have brought up a range of issues, including poverty and the cost of living, access to tertiary education, and alleged corruption and embezzlement of public funds by government officials as well as their families and associates.

Civic groups and trade unions have also joined the protests, which resulted in nighttime curfews being enforced in Antananarivo and other major cities. Curfews were still in effect in Antananarivo and the northern port city of Antsiranana.

The Gen Z protesters who inspired the uprising have mobilised over the internet and say they were inspired by other protests that toppled governments in Nepal and Sri Lanka.

History of political crises

Madagascar has had several leaders removed in coups and has a history of political crises since it gained independence from France in 1960.

Fifty-one-year-old Rajoelina first came to prominence as the leader of a transitional government following a 2009 coup that forced then President Marc Ravalomanana to flee the country and lose power. Rajoelina was elected president in 2018 and reelected in 2023 in a vote boycotted by opposition parties.