Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina has fled the country aboard a French military aircraft as protests and a growing military mutiny threaten his rule.
The evacuation reportedly followed an understanding reached with French President Emmanuel Macron, though French officials insist they are not intervening militarily in the ongoing crisis.
The unrest, which began on 25 September over widespread water and electricity cuts, has since escalated into a nationwide movement demanding Rajoelina’s resignation.
Security forces have used force to disperse demonstrations, while sections of the paramilitary gendarmerie have reportedly joined protesters, seizing control of some units.
Before his evacuation, Rajoelina had been expected to address the nation, but the speech never took place. His whereabouts remain unclear, with conflicting reports over whether he has fled or remains in the country.
Earlier this month, Rajoelina dissolved the government and so far had only reappointed new ministers for the armed forces, public security and the gendarmerie law enforcement force. He also named an army general as new prime minister, prompting demonstrators to call for the president’s resignation by the end of last week.
The president had called on troops from the police force in an attempt to quell the youth-led uprisings that began last month over chronic water and power cuts, fuelled by widespread anger over official corruption, high levels of poverty and unemployment.
On Saturday, senior military police from the army’s CAPSAT unit urged soldiers to disobey orders. The force, which is responsible for storing the bulk of the army’s munitions and hardware, helped install Rajoelina after he led a popular uprising against his predecessor in 2009.
Rajoelina’s office on Sunday accused CAPSAT of “an attempted illegal and forcible seizure of power”.
One person familiar with the president’s movements told Julisha.co.ke : “The facts on the ground say that if he’s out the country, and there’s a massive popular uprising in the capital and in cities around the country . . . there isn’t any way back. It’s not as though he’s got a functioning government in place which he could claim is running the show either.”
Constitutionally, the president can only be removed if he resigns or is impeached by the Constitutional Court.
At least 22 people have been killed during the crackdown by authorities, according to UN figures. The government disputes those numbers but has not provided its own tally.
Inspired by recent youth-led movements in Kenya and Nepal, the protests led by a group calling themselves “Gen Z Madagascar” have also been supported by trade unions and civic groups.
Rajoelina now faces the most serious challenge to his presidency since his re-election in 2023, as public anger, defections within the military, and widespread unrest raise fears of an impending power takeover.
