Antananarivo [Madagascar], October 14 (HBTV): Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina has fled the country after weeks of massive protests, becoming the latest world leader ousted amid a wave of Gen Z-led movements that have toppled governments in Nepal and Bangladesh, Reuters reported.
According to the report, Rajoelina left Madagascar on Sunday aboard a French military aircraft after sections of the army joined the protesters. Opposition leader Siteny Randrianasoloniaiko confirmed the president’s departure, saying, ‘We called the staff of the presidency and they confirmed that he left the country.’ His current location remains unknown.
The following day, Rajoelina addressed the nation via a Facebook video, saying he had moved to a ‘safe location’ for his protection. Although he declined to reveal his whereabouts, he appeared defiant, stating, ‘I will not allow Madagascar to be destroyed.’ A diplomatic source said he has so far refused to resign.
Military sources told Reuters that the president departed aboard a French Army CASA aircraft after an evacuation deal reportedly brokered with French President Emmanuel Macron. French radio outlet RFI said the extraction took place swiftly, with a French aircraft landing at Sainte Marie airport before a helicopter transferred a single passenger—believed to be Rajoelina—onto the plane.
Speaking from Egypt after a Gaza ceasefire summit, Macron said he could not confirm France’s involvement in the operation but emphasised that ‘constitutional order must be preserved in Madagascar’. He added that while France recognises the grievances of Madagascar’s youth, ‘those grievances should not be manipulated by military forces’.
The protests that forced Rajoelina’s exit began on September 25, initially triggered by widespread water and power shortages. They soon evolved into a broader movement against corruption, poor governance, and the lack of essential services.
Rajoelina’s control weakened over the weekend when CAPSAT, an elite military unit that had once helped him seize power in a 2009 coup, switched sides and joined the demonstrators. CAPSAT announced it would no longer fire on protesters and later declared it was taking control of the military, appointing a new army chief. Rajoelina, in turn, warned of what he described as an ‘attempted power grab’.
On Monday, a faction of the paramilitary gendarmerie also defected, naming its own chief during a formal ceremony attended by senior officials. The president of the Senate was subsequently removed amid rising public anger, and Jean Andre Ndremanjary was appointed interim Senate leader. Under Madagascar’s constitution, the head of the Senate assumes the presidency temporarily if the post falls vacant until elections are held.
Thousands of protesters returned to Antananarivo’s central square on Monday, chanting, ‘The president must quit now.’
One protester, 22-year-old hotel worker Adrianarivony Fanomegantsoa, said his monthly salary of 300,000 ariary (approximately USD 67) barely covers food expenses. ‘In 16 years, the president and his government have done nothing except enrich themselves while the people stay poor. And the youth, the Gen Z, suffer the most,’ he said.
The United Nations reported that at least 22 people have been killed in clashes between protesters and security forces since the demonstrations began. Madagascar, a country of around 30 million people, has a median age of under 20 and some of the world’s highest poverty rates. The World Bank estimates that its GDP per capita declined by 45 per cent from independence in 1960 to 2020.
Before fleeing, Rajoelina issued pardons for several individuals, including two French nationals convicted over a failed 2021 coup attempt. According to a source within the presidency, the pardons—granted through an internal document—freed Paul Maillot Rafanoharana and Francois Marc Philippe, both found guilty of plotting against the state.
(ANI)