Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina has been toppled in a military coup and gone into hiding following three weeks of political unrest and youth-led protests.
President Rajoelina attempted to dissolve Madagascar’s National Assembly after the Parliament voted on Tuesday to impeach him, even as the island nation’s embattled leader declared the process unconstitutional and vowed to stay in power.
Rajoelina fled the island, off the Southern coast of Africa, on a French military plane, after an elite army unit, known as CAPSAT, defected from the army and government and joined the Gen Z-led protesters demonstrating against inequality and corruption in the country of 29 million people.
Read More: What to Know About the ‘Gen Z’ Protests Roiling Countries Across the Globe
As new leadership forms in the country, here is what we know so far.
Gen Z anger is fueling the protests
Protests began late last month in the country’s capital, Antananarivo, calling for the removal of Rajoelina, who gained power in a 2009 coup d’état. They were notably driven by Gen Z protesters.
One 21-year-old, Angie Rakoto, told the crowd from May 13 Square of Rajoelina, “He has to quit. Immediately,” according to Reuters. The square, which hosted protests for weeks, is named after the 1972 Malagasy Revolution, which was a youth-led uprising that forced out the country’s first post-independence president.
The protests were initially sparked by widespread power outages and water shortages throughout the Indian Ocean island, but eventually grew into wider discontent with the country’s leadership, service failures, alleged corruption, and political nepotism.
“We acknowledge and apologise if members of the government have not carried out the tasks assigned to them,” Rajoelina said in a state broadcast on September 29, in which he directly addressed the frustration of young people. “I understand the anger, the sadness, and the difficulties caused by power cuts and water supply problems. I heard the call, I felt the suffering, I understood the impact on daily life.”
The United Nations said 22 people died in the government’s “violent” response to the Gen Z protests. The government denied those numbers.
“I am shocked and saddened by the killings and injuries in the protests over water and power cuts in Madagascar,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Monday. “I urge the authorities to ensure respect for freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, consistent with their obligations under international human rights law.”
Although protestors briefly suspended activities after the violence in the capital, hundreds subsequently marched in Toliara, south of the capital, and in Diego Suarez.
In demonstrations on Monday, the protests attracted at least 15,000 people.
The president fled when he lost the support of the army
The Gen Z protests reached a pivotal point over this past weekend, when a military unit joined the protestors and their calls for the president to step down from office.
Rajoelina’s office said that he and the prime minister were still in control of the country’s affairs in a statement on Saturday. But rumors began to circulate over the weekend that he had fled the country.
He confirmed his departure on Monday.
“I was forced to find a safe place to protect my life today,” the 51-year-old leader said in a 26-minute video address posted to Facebook. He continued: “I never stop looking for solutions.”
According to another post on the President’s Facebook page, the address was meant to be broadcast in the country earlier, but was delayed after an armed group tried to seize control of the country’s state-owned media station.
Rajoelina was President from 2009-2014 after a U.S.-condemned coup, in which the CAPSAT unit that joined protestors played a significant role. Rajoelina led the transitional government until 2014, and then he returned to power in 2019.
Madagascar is one of the world’s poorest countries
One of the reasons for Madagascar’s political turmoil is its crippling poverty.
According to the World Bank, in 2022, 75.2% of the national population was below the poverty line, and though national poverty has “stagnated,” urban poverty is “alarmingly” on the rise.
“This surge in urban poverty can be attributed to various factors, including declining economic opportunities, a deteriorating business environment, and a lack of investment in education, healthcare, and urban infrastructure,” a February 2024 World Bank report on Madagascar read.
Though agriculture is the “backbone” of Madagascar’s economy, the low agricultural productivity in the region leaves 80% of rural people in poverty. The World Bank also notes that the island is particularly vulnerable to climate change-induced disasters.
This poverty is felt particularly hard by the young people of the nation. Only 46% of Madagascar has access to drinking water, only 15% have an adequate sanitary system, and as a result, children are more prone to chronic illness and malnutrition.
Gen Z protests have toppled governments elsewhere this year
Gen Z anger in Madagascar has mirrored demonstrations by youth across the world this year, as many young people have taken to the streets to protest inequality, poverty, corruption, and lack of infrastructure in their nations.
These include protests in Peru, Nepal, and Morocco. In late September, young Peruvian protestors clashed with police after protesting a pension reform bill passed that would force young people to pay into a private pension fund.
Many of these protestors have called for Dina Boluarte, whose approval ratings have been in the single digits for months, to leave office.
Last Thursday, Boluarte was removed from office via a congressional vote.
In Nepal, youth-led protests over corruption and a social media shutdown left at least 19 people dead and resulted in a wholesale change in government. According to Amnesty International, the government responded to protests with rubber bullets, tear gas, and even live ammunition.Mass protests in Indonesia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines in recent years have also rocked South and Southeast Asia as young people fight against poverty and corruption.
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