Soldiers Join Youth-Led Protests In Madagascar

A group of elite soldiers in Madagascar has declared it is taking control of the country’s armed forces, deepening the political crisis facing President Andry Rajoelina, who is also the SADC Chairman.

The administrative and technical contingent, known as CAPSAT, announced that all military orders would now come from its headquarters.

The move came shortly after the presidency accused unnamed forces of trying to seize power illegally.

The development marks the most serious threat to Rajoelina’s rule since his disputed 2023 re-election.

The same unit helped bring him to power in a 2009 coup but has now joined youth-led protests over chronic water and electricity shortages.

Demonstrations, which began in late September, have grown into a nationwide movement demanding Rajoelina’s resignation.

Security forces have clashed with protesters, and the United Nations says at least 22 people have died and more than 100 have been injured.

Over the weekend, CAPSAT soldiers broke ranks and escorted thousands of protesters into Antananarivo’s May 13 Square, a historic site for political uprisings.

Videos on social media showed troops standing alongside demonstrators, many of them young people and students.

Prime Minister Ruphin Fortunat Zafisambo, a former military general, said the government was ready to talk to all sides, including the protesters and the army.

Madagascar’s military has long played a decisive role in politics, having backed several coups since independence in 1960.

Rajoelina has appealed for calm and asked the public to give him a year to fix the country’s problems, promising to step down if he fails.

But protesters under the banner Gen Z Madagascar have rejected dialogue, saying they no longer trust his government.