Andry Rajoelina, the president of Madagascar, stated on Sunday that there was an attempted coup in the Indian Ocean country after an elite army unit called CAPSAT said they were in charge of the military and called for the president to step down amid rallies against the administration.
Rajoelina’s office stated in a statement that he “wishes to inform the nation and the international community that an attempt to seize power illegally and by force” has been “initiated.”
“The president’s office strongly condemns this attempt to destabilize the country and calls on all forces in the nation to come together to protect constitutional order and national sovereignty.”
Rajoelina’s office didn’t say who was behind the effort, and there were no evidence of unrest on the streets on Sunday.
The elite CAPSAT unit said they were in charge of the military following three weeks of the island nation’s biggest protests.
On Sunday, Madagascar’s minister of armed forces confirmed that a military faction that supports protesters calling for President Andry Rajoelina to step down had chosen an officer as the new army leader.
Manantsoa Deramasinjaka Rakotoarivelo, the Minister of the Armed Forces, was at the ceremony at army headquarters where General Demosthene Pikulas was named Chief of the Army Staff.
At least 22 people have died in youth protests that have been going on for weeks.
The organization that is leading the protests calls itself “Gen Z Madagascar.” The United Nations claims that at least 22 people have died and scores more have been hurt. The government disagrees with this statistic.
The CAPSAT soldiers joined the protests on Saturday. Reports say these protests are some of the biggest since the unrest started on September 25.
On Thursday, October 9, 2025, in Antananarivo, Madagascar, protesters clamoring for the president to step down are hit with tear gas. (Alexander Joe/AP Photo) Photo by AP
On Thursday, October 9, 2025, in Antananarivo, Madagascar, protesters are tear-gassed during a protest calling for the president to stand down. (Alexander Joe/AP Photo) AP Picture
Colonel Michael Randrianirina, the unit’s leader, alleged that his troops had shot at security personnel who were trying to stop the protests on Saturday and that one of his soldiers had died.
Randrianirina told crowds from an armored truck that Rajoelina, his new prime minister, the minister of the gendarmerie, and the head of the gendarmerie “must leave power.” That’s it.
“Is this a coup? Randrianirina answered, “I don’t know yet.”
We don’t know where Rajoelina is.
It was not clear where the president was on Sunday right away. In a statement, Rajoelina’s government declared that he was still in the nation and had not fled.
Rajoelina, who is 51 years old, first became president of a transitional government after a coup in 2009 that was backed by the military and drove then-President Marc Ravalomanana to leave the country. He came back in 2014, although he hasn’t been in office since then.
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Thousands of people in Madagascar’s capital are protesting and calling on President Andry Rajoelina to step down.
Air France’s French division sent an email on Sunday saying that flights between Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport and Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar, will not run from October 11 to October 13 because of the “security situation” on the ground.
Air France said that “the resumption of operations will remain subject to a daily assessment of the situation,” and the airline was keeping a close watch on things with the authorities.
Madagascar is a big island with 31 million people off the east coast of Africa. Since winning independence from France in 1960, there have been multiple coups that toppled presidents.
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