Madagascar president dissolves government after youth-led deadly protests

The demonstrations, which started implicit deteriorating surviving conditions, person near 22 radical dead, according to the UN.

Madagascar’s president, Andry Rajoelina, has dissolved his authorities successful effect to mass demonstrations implicit powerfulness and h2o shortages that turned deadly, with the United Nations reporting that astatine slightest 22 radical person been killed and much than 100 others were injured.

The protests, which began past week and continued into Monday, were led mostly by young people, aggravated implicit deteriorating surviving conditions successful the capital, Antananarivo.

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Experts accidental they correspond the astir superior situation to Rajoelina’s authorization since his re-election successful 2023, and the largest question of unrest the land federation has seen successful years.

Crowds gathered astatine Antananarivo’s main assemblage connected Monday, carrying placards and singing the nationalist anthem, earlier attempting to march into the metropolis centre, according to footage broadcast by the section transmission 2424.MG.

Police fired teardrop state to disperse the demonstrators, arsenic authorities enforced a dusk-to-dawn curfew that has been successful spot since past week. Security forces person besides utilized rubber bullets to effort to quell the unrest.

Looting has been reported astatine supermarkets, appliance shops and banks crossed the superior of 1.4 cardinal people. Homes belonging to politicians person besides been attacked successful caller days.

Protesters tally arsenic Malagasy riot constabulary usage teardrop state during a objection against predominant powerfulness outages and h2o shortages, adjacent the University of Antananarivo connected September 29, 2025 [Zo Andrianjafy/Reuters]

The president promises dialogue

In a televised code connected Monday, Rajoelina acknowledged the nationalist choler and apologised for his government’s failings. “We admit and apologise if members of the authorities person not carried retired the tasks assigned to them,” helium said connected authorities broadcaster Televiziona Malagasy (TVM).

The president promised measures to enactment businesses that suffered losses during the unrest and said helium wanted to unfastened a transmission of connection with young people. “I recognize the anger, the sadness, and the difficulties caused by powerfulness cuts and h2o proviso problems. I heard the call, I felt the suffering, I understood the interaction connected regular life,” helium added.

The demonstrations person been driven by vexation astatine years of economical hardship. Madagascar, an land federation disconnected Africa’s southeast coast, is 1 of the region’s poorest countries.

About 75 percent of its 30 cardinal radical lived beneath the poorness enactment successful 2022, according to the World Bank.

Many protesters blasted Rajoelina’s authorities for failing to amended conditions, peculiarly arsenic predominant powerfulness outages and h2o shortages person disrupted regular life.

Casualties and disputes implicit figures

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said that casualties included protesters and bystanders killed by information forces, arsenic good arsenic radical who died successful looting and unit carried retired by gangs unconnected to the demonstrations.

Madagascar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected those figures, insisting they were not based connected authoritative information but connected “rumours oregon misinformation”.

Organisers accidental they person taken inspiration from youth-led movements successful Kenya, Nepal and Morocco. Demonstrators successful Antananarivo waved a emblem archetypal utilized successful Nepal earlier this month, erstwhile protests forced the country’s premier curate to resign.

The question successful Madagascar has been mostly coordinated connected societal media, peculiarly Facebook, echoing akin online mobilisation seen successful Kenya past year, erstwhile sustained demonstrations pushed the authorities to wantonness projected taxation legislation.