Madagascar’s president says illegal power grab by military is under way | Madagascar
Madagascar’s president said an “attempt to seize power illegally and by force” was continuing, as an elite military unit joined protesters in the streets on Saturday and announced a military takeover.
The Capsat unit’s intervention followed weeks of youth-led protests that began on September 25 against water and electricity cuts and expanded to calls for the resignation of president Andry Rajoelina to end corruption and radical overhaul of the political system.
Rajoelina said in a statement Sunday morning that he was “managing national affairs… in the country.” Newly appointed prime minister Rophin Fortunat Zafisambo said on state television on Saturday night that the government was “fully ready to listen and engage in dialogue with all groups, such as young people, unions and the military.”
Rajoelina said: “The Presidency wishes to inform the nation and the international community that an attempt to seize power illegally and by force, contrary to the constitution and democratic principles, is currently ongoing.”
Soldiers from Capsat, which brought Rajoelina to power in a coup in 2009, said they took command of the army on Sunday morning. video explanation Shared by local news organizations. It was not immediately clear whether the rest of the army had surrendered to Capsat’s control on the Indian Ocean island of about 32 million people.
Capsat said on Saturday he would not open fire on protesters and called on the rest of the military to “join forces” to refuse. In the late afternoon, unit members left their base in the Soanierana district, south of the capital Antananarivo, and advanced in armored vehicles, accompanied by thousands of cheering protesters, toward the symbolic May 13 Square about 3 miles north.
A general from Capsat said on Saturday that one of the soldiers was killed by the gendarmerie and police under the command of the defense ministry, while a journalist was shot in the hip. The UN said at least 22 people were killed at the start of the protests in September, but Rajoelina disputed this, saying 12 “looters and vandals” had died last week.
The protests were initially coordinated by Gen Z Madagascar, a leaderless group of young people inspired by similar “Generation Z” protests in Indonesia and Nepal, where the government was overthrown.
Rajoelina dismissed his government on 29 September in response to the initial demonstrations. But Gen Z Madagascar rejects this as inadequate and demands the resignation of the president, parliamentary leader and constitutional court judges, while protesters in the streets chant “Miala Rajoelina!” He continued to shout. (Leave Rajoelina alone!).
Some young activists expressed concerns about Capsat’s intervention on Saturday, with one describing the soldiers and opposition politicians who joined them at May 13 Square as “dangerous”.
Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world GDP per capita last year was only $545According to the World Bank. The country rich in precious stones and vanilla was included in the rankings 140 out of 180 Countries in Transparency International’s 2024 corruption perception index.
Agence France-Presse contributed to this report
