Madagascar’s influential CAPSAT military unit said it was in control of the country’s entire military, according to a statement published Sunday.The statement came to light as Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina said an “attempt to seize power illegally and by force” was underway.“From now on, all orders of the Malagasy army, whether land, air, or military will come from the headquarters of CAPSAT,” officers from the contingent said in its video statement.The same unit mutinied in 2009 during the uprising that brought Rajoelina to power.Later on Sunday, General Demosthene Pikulas was installed as Chief of the Army Staff during a ceremony at the army headquarters attended by armed forces minister, Manantsoa Deramasinjaka Rakotoarivelo.“I give him my blessing,” the minister said.Pikulas was chosen by the mutinying CAPSAT unit.
What is happening in Madagascar?
On Saturday, the CAPSAT faction of soldiers joined thousands of anti-government “Gen-Z” protesters in the capital. While the protests were triggered by anger over police brutality and power and water shortages, escalating unrest has since evolved into a broader demand for political change.Saturday’s protest was one of the largest since the demonstrations began on September 25.Soldiers from the CAPSAT unit, based in the Soanierana district on the southern outskirts of Antananarivo, left their barracks, called on security forces to “refuse orders to shoot” and condemned the recent police crackdown.The troops clashed with gendarmes before driving into the city to join protesters gathered on the symbolic Place du 13 Mai in front of city hall, where they were greeted with cheers and chants for Rajoelina’s resignation.According to UN figures, at least 22 people have been killed and more than 100 injured since the protests began. Rajoelina has disputed those numbers, claiming Wednesday that there had been only 12 deaths and insisting those killed had been “all looters and vandals.”The troops clashed with gendarmes before driving into the city to join protesters gathered on the symbolic Place du 13 Mai in front of city hall, where they were greeted with cheers and chants for Rajoelina’s resignation.According to UN figures, at least 22 people have been killed and more than 100 injured since the protests began. Rajoelina has disputed those numbers, claiming Wednesday that there had been only 12 deaths and insisting those killed had been “all looters and vandals.”
What did Madagascar’s president say about a coup?
“The Presidency of the Republic wishes to inform the nation and the international community that an attempt to seize power illegally and by force, contrary to the Constitution and to democratic principles, is currently underway,” Rajoelina said in a statement released by the presidency Sunday morning.Newly appointed Prime Minister Ruphin Zafisambo on Saturday evening said the government “remains firm” and is “ready to collaborate and listen to all forces, the youth, unions, and the army.” He warned that “Madagascar will not withstand another crisis if this division among citizens continues.”The presidency issued a statement assuring that President Andry Rajoelina “remains in the country” and “continues to manage national affairs.”
Rajoelina installed by the military
Madagascar, one of the world’s poorest countries, has a long history of political upheaval and popular uprisings since gaining independence from France in 1960.In 2009, mass demonstrations forced then-president Marc Ravalomanana from power, paving the way for the military to install Rajoelina for his first term. He later won re-election in 2018 and again in 2023, though both votes were marred by opposition challenges and allegations of irregularities.
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