Madagascar president refuses to step down as antigov’t protests continue

Andry Rajoelina, the president of Madagascar, has rebuffed calls for his resignation from a youth-led protest movement that he believes is a coup plot being carried out by rivals.

Following a “strategic” pause in the near-daily demonstrations led by a movement known as “Gen Z,” protesters took to the streets of Antananarivo on Friday to demand that the president step down over his alleged failure to provide basic services, including water and electricity.

According to the UN, at least 22 people have died as a result of the protests’ beginning on September 25. According to footage from Real TV Madagasikara, police used tear gas to disperse marchers in the capital on Friday.

“No one benefits from the country’s destruction.” In a speech that was posted on his Facebook page, Rajoelina stated, “I am here, I stand here, ready to listen, to extend a helping hand, and to bring solutions to Madagascar.”

He claimed that some politicians were considering staging a coup while he was speaking to the UN in New York last week, without providing any proof, and that some of them were planning to exploit the demonstrations.

He continued, quoting those he claimed were responsible for the action and that “some people want to destroy our country.”

Rajoelina’s speech was deemed meaningless by the Gen Z movement, promising to take “all necessary measures” if the president didn’t “reply favorably” to its demands within 24 hours.

In addition, protests took place in Toliara and Fianarantsoa, two cities in the north of the coastal city of Mahajanga.

Opportunistic organizations

The World Bank estimates that Madagascar has a wealth of resources but is still one of the poorest nations in the world. 32 million people will live below the poverty line in 2022, according to the World Bank, and 75% of that population is male.

Rajoelina’s government was forced to sack it on Monday, prompting dialogue, by recent unrest. He claimed to have met with various groups for the past three days in a post on his X account at the end of the week.

Rasata Rafaravavitafika, Madagascar’s foreign minister, claimed a “massive cyberattack” and a “targeted digital manipulation campaign” were being launched from another nation.

According to analyses conducted by our specialized units, an agency with advanced technological capabilities initially directed this operation from abroad, she said.

She claimed that “opportunistic groups” had “infiltrated” the demonstrations and intended to “exploit the vulnerability of some of Madagascar’s young people.”

Former Antananarivo mayor Rajoelina won the election in 2009 after an uprising that removed former president Marc Ravalomanana.