ANTANANARIVO: Madagascar’s presidency said on Sunday that “an attempted illegal and forcible seizure of power” was underway in the African nation, without providing details, a day after some soldiers joined a protest movement that had begun last month.
Troops from the elite CAPSAT unit that helped President Andry Rajoelina seize power in a 2009 coup urged fellow soldiers to disobey orders and back the youth-led protests, which began on September 25 and pose the most serious challenge to Rajoelina’s rule since his reelection in 2023.
A Reuters witness saw three people injured after shots were fired along a road to the CAPSAT barracks on Sunday. Other witnesses said there was no sign of ongoing clashes.
The protests, inspired by Gen Z-led movements in Kenya and Nepal, began over water and electricity shortages but have since escalated, with demonstrators calling for Rajoelina to step down, apologize for violence against protesters, and dissolve the Senate and electoral commission.
At least 22 people have been killed and 100 injured in the unrest since September, according to the United Nations. The Malagasy government has disputed the figures, with Rajoelina saying this month that 12 people were killed in the protests.
In a statement on the presidency’s official social media account, Rajoelina’s office said he firmly condemned attempts to destabilize the country and urged all forces “to stand together in defense of constitutional order and national sovereignty.” It encouraged dialogue to resolve the crisis.
Videos on social media on Saturday showed CAPSAT soldiers urging fellow troops to “support the people.”
A video broadcast by local media showed that dozens of soldiers left the barracks later on Saturday to escort thousands of protesters into the May 13 Square in Antananarivo, the scene of many political uprisings, which had been heavily guarded and off limits during the unrest.
Since then, the prime minister and army’s chief of staff have urged citizens to take part in dialogue and stay calm.