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.
Madagascar president warns of attempted coup after soldiers join protests
https://arab.news/2dnuu
Madagascar president warns of attempted coup after soldiers join protests
- 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
Pull him off TV: Steve Bannon shuts down Sen. Lindsey Graham
- Trump’s former chief strategist called for the senator to be registered as a foreign agent
DUBAI: Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon called on Tuesday for US Senator Lindsey Graham to be registered as a foreign agent of the Israeli government, escalating a growing conservative backlash against the senator’s vocal support for Israel.
Speaking on his podcast “War Room,” Bannon said Graham should be “pulled off of television,” adding: "This is dangerous… because you have guys like Lindsey Graham and dozens more that are doing the wrong thing.”
In a Fox News interview on Monday, Graham said: “To all the antisemites, to all the isolationists… I’m not with you, I’m with Israel, I will be with Israel to our dying day.”
Graham also urged Gulf Arab states to join military action against Iran. “What I want you to do in the Middle East, to our friends in Saudi Arabia and other places, [is] step forward and say, ‘this is my fight too, I join America, I’m publicly involved in bringing this regime down,’” he said.
In a post on X, Graham questioned the value of a US defense agreement with Saudi Arabia following the evacuation of the American embassy in Riyadh, writing: “Why should America do a defense agreement with a country like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that is unwilling to join a fight of mutual interest?”
Faisal Abbas, editor-in-chief of Arab News, responded to Graham’s comments in a Sky News interview, saying: “He flip flops so much, it’s actually entertaining.”
“On one hand, he says he will never set foot in Saudi Arabia. The next day, he’s here signing multimillion-dollar deals.”
“I don’t think anyone here takes him seriously,” Abbas added.
He warned Graham to be careful what he wished for: “Do you really want Saudi Arabia involved in this war putting our oil facilities at risk or do you want us stabilizing the energy markets?”
Graham pressed further, warning that inaction would carry a price. “Hopefully Gulf Cooperation Council countries will get more involved as this fight is in their backyard. If you are not willing to use your military now, when are you willing to use it?”
“Hopefully this changes soon. If not, consequences will follow.”
Graham's remarks drew sharp criticism from Bannon and others including podcast host Megyn Kelly.
She questioned on X whether Graham was overstepping his authority as a senator, writing: “When did Lindsay Graham become our president?”
Kelly also said Graham had threatened Lebanon, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, the wider Arab region, and Spain within a 24-hour period.
The problem with Graham “isn’t (just) that he’s a homicidal maniac, it’s that Trump likes and is listening to him,” she said in another post.
