Just In: Madagascar President Rajoelina Flees Amid Deadly Protests & Military Take Over!

By Frank Kamuntu

Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina reportedly fled the country on a French military aircraft on Monday, hours before he was due to address the nation, after days of escalating unrest that have seen parts of the security forces side with protesters.

French state radio RFI said authorities flew Rajoelina out of the capital Antananarivo following an agreement with French President Emmanuel Macron; RFI added the president may be en route to Dubai. French officials, however, said they were not intervening in Madagascar’s internal crisis.

The turmoil, which began on 25 September over widespread water and electricity cuts, has ballooned into a nationwide movement demanding Rajoelina’s resignation. What started as mass demonstrations by youths and civil society — including the activist group Gen Z Madagascar — shifted dramatically after the elite Capsat unit and elements of the gendarmerie openly broke with orders and joined or signalled support for the protesters.

The presidency had announced that Rajoelina would address the nation at 7pm local time (1600 GMT), but his whereabouts were unclear before news of the evacuation. He has not spoken publicly since officers aligned with the protests said they had taken control of the gendarmerie.

Large crowds gathered in Antananarivo’s symbolic Place du 13 Mai on Monday to celebrate Capsat troops. Reporters from Agence France-Presse said demonstrators waved Malagasy flags, chanted slogans and even clambered onto arriving armoured vehicles as soldiers smiled and waved to the crowd.

Tensions have been high since authorities used force to disperse demonstrations. The United Nations says at least 22 people were killed in the early days of the unrest, a toll that Rajoelina disputed last week, claiming there were “12 confirmed deaths” and describing those killed as “looters and vandals.”

The crisis deepened after the arrest on 19 September of two politicians who had planned a protest against the chronic power and water outages — an event that helped spark the takeover of streets by thousands and the breakdown of discipline within some security units. In recent days, some Capsat soldiers posted videos urging military, gendarmes and police not to fire on protesters and to “join forces,” calling for solidarity with civilians.

Rajoelina, 51, first came to power in 2009 following a popular uprising and served until 2014. He returned to the presidency in 2023. In recent weeks he had become increasingly isolated after losing the backing of Capsat, which played a prominent role in his initial rise to power.

The crisis has also seen rapid movements by key figures close to the presidency. Former prime minister Christian Ntsay and businessman Mamy Ravatomanga, a presidential ally, flew to Mauritius on a private jet on Saturday, local reports said. Rajoelina was notably absent from a ceremony to install General Nonos Mbina Mamelison as head of the gendarmerie the same day.

Madagascar’s Armed Forces Minister General Deramasinjaka Rakotoarivelo and General Demosthène Pikulas — whom Capsat has named as a rival chief of the army — attended the ceremony amid deep divisions within the security apparatus.

The presidency on Sunday warned of an attempted coup by members of Capsat, the elite unit that helped bring Rajoelina to power in 2009. Capsat members and other security personnel who have backed the demonstrations appear to have seized significant symbolic control in parts of the capital, further eroding central authority.

As the situation remains fluid, officials have not confirmed the president’s destination or future plans. Rajoelina’s absence and the growing role of armed units in the protests raise fresh concerns about the stability of Madagascar’s institutions and the prospect of further clashes in the coming days.