Keypoints:
- Rajoelina claims foreign-backed coup attempt
- Gen Z protests escalate across Madagascar
- Opposition and unions back strike action
MADAGASCAN President Andry Rajoelina on Friday denounced what he called an attempt to overthrow his government, as nationwide protests against his rule intensified.
‘They have been exploited to provoke a coup,’ the 51-year-old leader said in a Facebook live broadcast, accusing foreign countries and agencies of funding a movement to remove him ‘not through elections, but for profit to take power like other African countries’.
He further alleged ‘mass manipulation’ through a ‘cyberattack’ but stopped short of naming those he claimed were behind the plot.
The president’s warning came as demonstrators again flooded the streets of Antananarivo after a 24-hour pause, facing off with heavily armed security forces. AFP reporters saw police firing tear gas to disperse crowds and shops shuttered along the capital’s Independence Avenue, where patrols intensified.
Youth movement leads the charge
The protests have been galvanised by the youth-led ‘Gen Z’ movement, which has harnessed social media to organise nationwide rallies.
On Friday the group demanded to be consulted in appointing a new prime minister and called for an inquiry into police violence against demonstrators.
‘We are giving the president 24 hours to respond favourably to these demands,’ the group said in a statement, pledging to take ‘all necessary measures’ if ignored.
Gen Z has adopted imagery from global youth uprisings, including the pirate skull symbol from the Japanese anime One Piece.
Unrest spreads beyond the capital
Clashes have erupted across the country. Student protests in the northern city of Mahajanga were dispersed, while rallies were reported in Toliara and Fianarantsoa.
The United Nations said at least 22 people had been killed and hundreds wounded since the unrest began, though the government rejected the figures as misinformation. Security forces have been accused of using live bullets alongside tear gas.
Opposition and unions rally support
In a rare display of unity, Madagascar’s political opposition has lined up behind Gen Z. Several unions — including the powerful water and electricity workers’ union — have declared a general strike, amplifying calls for Rajoelina’s resignation.
Anger centres on his failure to deliver reliable basic services, particularly water and electricity, despite his re-election in 2023.
Political turmoil revisited
Rajoelina, a former mayor of Antananarivo and media mogul, first rose to power in 2009 following an uprising that toppled then-president Marc Ravalomanana.
Barred from contesting the 2013 election under international pressure, he returned in 2018 to win the presidency and secured re-election in 2023 in a disputed vote.
Despite its wealth of natural resources, Madagascar remains one of the world’s poorest nations. The World Bank said nearly three-quarters of its 32 million people lived below the poverty line in 2022. Transparency International ranked the country 140th of 180 in its latest corruption index.
Push for dialogue
Earlier this week, Rajoelina dismissed his government and promised dialogue to calm tensions, but the move has failed to defuse anger.
On Friday he said he had met religious leaders, diplomats and representatives of the International Monetary Fund and the United Nations. ‘We prayed for our nation together,’ he posted online.
The crisis marks the most serious challenge to his leadership since his contested re-election, threatening to plunge Madagascar deeper into political instability.
