Madagascar’s embattled President Andry Rajoelina was supposed to give a highly anticipated national address yesterday, but it was delayed twice because a group of military forces tried to take control of the state-owned media.
Since Wednesday, Rajoelina has not been seen in public, which has led to rumors that he may have left the Indian Ocean nation that has been shaken by more than two weeks of protests against the administration, according to AFP.
• Protesters want President Andry Rajoelina to step down.
At first, the protests were over the country’s long-term electricity and water shortages, but they quickly grew into a larger movement against the administration that wanted Rajoelina to step down.
Radio France Internationale said he left Madagascar on a French military plane over the weekend, but French officials did not immediately react to our correspondent’s request for confirmation.
This was also not confirmed by French President Emmanuel Macron.
Early yesterday, soldiers and security forces who had promised to help the protesters over the weekend joined happy crowds in front of the Antananarivo city hall for a demonstration that felt like a celebration because people thought Rajoelina would step down.
Later, the president said that the 51-year-old leader, who came to power in a military-backed coup in 2009 and then won elections twice, will address to the country at 7:00 pm (1600 GMT).
After “a group of armed forces threatened to take control of the state-owned media,” it announced a first delay. After “ongoing negotiations,” it announced a second delay, this time until 9:30 pm (1830 GMT).
Rajoelina claimed over the weekend that there was a “attempt to seize power illegally” going on.
There were soldiers from the army CAPSAT unit at the morning demonstration. They were a big part of the coup in 2009.
The unit said on Saturday that it would “refuse orders to shoot” during protests, some of which have been greeted with brutal response from security forces since they started on September 25.
There were also gendarmerie officers there, who were accused of being too harsh during the protests. In a video statement, they said they had made “faults and excesses” in their reaction.
The UN says that at least 22 people died in the first few days, some at the hands of security personnel and others in violence caused by gangs and looters.
Rajoelina has contested the toll, alleging last week that “12 confirmed deaths” were all looters and vandals.
Rajoelina was under a lot of pressure, so he pardoned eight people yesterday. One of them was Paul Maillot Rafanoharana, a French-Malagasy dual citizen who was sentenced to 20 years in jail in 2021 for trying to overthrow the government in Madagascar.
Antananarivo and Paris have been at odds over the matter.
“Say you’re sorry and quit”
Rajoelina’s government declared on Saturday that he was still in Madagascar and running the country, despite rumors that he had departed.
“Our hope is that he will apologize and really resign,” said 24-year-old law student Finaritra Manitra Andrianamelasoa at the municipal hall gathering where a big flag of the Gen Z movement that organized the protests was on display.
“After that, we can think about holding elections and deciding who would be a good leader,” he continued.
“We already expect him to apologize to all Malagasy citizens because we have lost many lives and many of our relatives have been hurt during the protests,” said 19-year-old Steven Rasolonjanahary, who also wants him to step down.
Last month, the president fired all of his ministers in an effort to calm the protests.
The Senate declared on Sunday that it had fired its president, Richard Ravalomanana, a former commander of the gendarmerie paramilitary police. This was one of the demonstrators’ demands.
Since gaining independence from France in 1960, Madagascar’s politics have been quite unstable. The African Union and South Africa, among others, have expressed alarm about the unrest.
The African Union’s security council told all armed forces yesterday to “return to uphold their constitutional mandate and to refrain from meddling in the political affairs of the country.”
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