Madagascar president warns attempted coup ‘under way’
Madagascar’s presidency said an “illegal and forcible attempt to seize power” had begun in the African country, without providing details, a day after some soldiers joined the protest movement that began last month.
Troops from the elite CAPSAT unit, which helped President Andry Rajoelina seize power in a 2009 coup, urged their fellow soldiers to disobey orders and support youth-led protests that began Sept. 25 and pose the most serious challenge to Rajoelina’s rule since his re-election in 2023.
A Reuters eyewitness saw three people injured after gunfire along the road leading to the CAPSAT barracks on Sunday.
Other eyewitnesses said there was no sign that the clashes were continuing.
In the statement made by Rajoelina’s office, it was stated that he “wants to inform the nation and the international community that an attempt to seize power illegally and by force has been launched.”
“Given the extreme seriousness of this situation, the president … strongly condemns this attempt at destabilization and calls on all forces of the nation to unite in defense of constitutional order and national sovereignty,” Rajoelina’s office said. he said.
Rival forces claimed command of security operations in the country on Sunday, while a group representing CAPSAT soldiers said it would coordinate all branches of the military from its base on the outskirts of Antananarivo.
Spokesmen for the defense ministry and military general staff declined to comment.
The gendarmerie, which has intervened in protests alongside the police for the past few weeks and has been accused of using excessive force by protesters, said its orders would come “exclusively from the National Gendarmerie Command Centre”.
The protests, inspired by “Gen Z-led” movements in Kenya and Nepal, began over water and power outages but have since escalated, with demonstrators calling for Rajoelina to resign, apologize for violence against protesters and disband the Senate and electoral commission.
Thousands of people gathered in Antananarivo on Sunday to protest the government and commemorate a CAPSAT soldier who the army unit claimed was killed by gendarmerie on Saturday.
The peaceful meeting was attended by CAPSAT troops, as well as church leaders and opposition politicians, including former president Marc Ravalomana.
In the statement made on the official social media account of the Presidency, Rajoelina’s office said that it condemned attempts to destabilize the country and called for dialogue to resolve the crisis.
Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, head of the African Union commission, welcomed the “government’s renewed commitment to dialogue” on Sunday and called for calm and restraint.
Videos on social media on Saturday showed CAPSAT soldiers calling on other troops to “support the people”.
A video published by local media showed dozens of soldiers leaving the barracks later on Saturday to escort thousands of protesters to May 13 Square in Antananarivo, which has been the scene of many political uprisings and remains heavily guarded and off-limits during the unrest.
Rajoelina first rose to prominence as the interim leader of Madagascar following the 2009 coup.
He was first elected president in 2018 and was re-elected for a second term in 2023.
with AP
