Malagasy President Andry Rajoelina flees the country after the military rebellion: Npr

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar — Malagasy President Andry Rajoelina said he fled the country fearing for his life following a military rebellion, but stopped short of announcing his resignation in a speech broadcast Monday evening on social media from an undisclosed location.

Rajoelina has faced weeks of anti-government protests led by Generation Z, which reached a crucial point on Saturday when an elite military unit joined the demonstrations and called for the resignation of the president and other government ministers. This prompted Rajoelina to declare that an illegal attempt to seize power was underway on this Indian Ocean island and to leave the country.

“I was forced to find a safe place to protect my life,” Rajoelina said in his late-night speech, which was also scheduled to be broadcast on Malagasy television but was delayed for several hours after soldiers tried to take control of the state television station’s buildings, according to the president’s office.

The speech was ultimately broadcast on the official presidential Facebook page but not on national television.

They were Rajoelina’s first public comments since the CAPSAT military unit turned against his government in an apparent coup and joined thousands of protesters gathered in a main square in the capital, Antananarivo, over the weekend.

Rajoelina called for dialogue “to find a way out of this situation” and said the constitution must be respected. He did not say how he left Madagascar or where he was, but one report claimed he was evacuated from the country on a French military plane.

A spokesperson for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on this information.

Madagascar is a former French colony and Rajoelina is said to have French nationality, which has sparked discontent among some Malagasy people for years.

Anti-government protests began on September 25 over chronic water and electricity cuts, but have escalated into broader discontent with Rajoelina and his government.

It is the most significant unrest in this island nation of 31 million people off Africa’s east coast since Rajoelina himself came to power as head of a transitional government following a military-backed coup in 2009.

The same elite CAPSAT military unit that rebelled against Rajoelina played an important role in his first rise to power in 2009.

An elite unit claims to control the army

Soldiers are greeted by people gathered for a ceremony to honor protesters killed during the recent anti-government demonstration in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Sunday, October 12, 2025.

Mamyrael/Ap

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Mamyrael/Ap

Rajoelina has not identified those responsible for this attempted coup, but CAPSAT claims to now control all armed forces in Madagascar and has appointed a new officer in charge of the army, which was accepted by the defense minister in Rajoelina’s absence.

CAPSAT appears to be in a position of authority and also benefits from the support of other military units, notably the gendarmerie.

A CAPSAT commander, Colonel Michael Randrianirina, said the army had “answered the calls of the people” but denied there was a coup. Speaking at the country’s military headquarters on Sunday, he told reporters that it was up to the Malagasy people to decide what happens next, and whether Rajoelina leaves power and new elections are held.

Randrianirina said his soldiers decided to stand with the protesters and exchanged fire with security forces trying to quell the weekend protests, and that one of his soldiers was killed. But there was no major fighting in the streets and the soldiers mounted on armored vehicles and waving Malagasy flags were cheered by the population of Antananarivo.

The American embassy in Madagascar nevertheless advised American citizens to shelter in place due to a “very volatile and unpredictable” situation. The African Union urged all parties, “both civilian and military, to demonstrate calm and restraint.”

Weeks of protests

Madagascar has been rocked by three weeks of deadly anti-government protests initially led by a group calling itself “Gen Z Madagascar”.

The United Nations says the protests have left at least 22 dead and dozens injured and has criticized Malagasy authorities for their “violent response” to largely peaceful demonstrations at the start of the movement. The government has disputed the death toll.

Protesters raised a range of issues, including poverty and the cost of living, access to higher education, and allegations of corruption and embezzlement of public funds by government officials, as well as their families and associates.

Civic groups and unions also joined the protests, leading to nighttime curfews in Antananarivo and other major cities. Curfews were still in effect in Antananarivo and the northern port city of Antsiranana.

The Gen Z protesters who sparked the uprising mobilized online and say they were inspired by protests that toppled governments in Nepal and Sri Lanka.

History of political crises

Madagascar has seen several leaders deposed in coups and has a history of political crises since its independence from France in 1960.

Rajoelina, 51, first rose to prominence as the head of a transitional government after the 2009 coup that forced then-President Marc Ravalomanana to flee the country and lose power. Rajoelina was elected president in 2018 and re-elected in 2023 in a vote boycotted by opposition parties.

Rajoelina’s former Malagasy prime minister and one of the president’s closest advisers also fled the country and arrived on the neighboring island of Mauritius before dawn on Sunday, the Mauritian government said. Maurice said she was “not satisfied” that the private plane had landed on her territory.