Madagascar’s president, Andry Rajoelina, who first came to power in a coup in 2009, has condemned protests calling for his resignation, saying that demonstrators were trying to trigger a coup and were funded by unspecified foreign governments and organisations.
Youth-led demonstrations on the Indian Ocean island started on 25 September, initially driven by outrage over water and power cuts, but have grown into demands for action against corruption and reform of the political system. At least 22 people have been killed by security forces, according to the UN, which officials denied.
On Monday, the president dismissed the prime minister and dissolved the government. However, the leaderless Gen Z Madagascar movement called for more protests, demanding the resignation or dismissal of the president, constitutional court judges, election commission members and parliamentary leaders.
The demonstrators “have been exploited to provoke a coup”, Rajoelina, a former DJ, said in a live video on his Facebook page.
“Countries and agencies paid for this movement to get me out, not through elections, but for profit to take power like other African countries. That’s why I tell you to be very careful,” the 51-year-old said, without specifying who he was levying allegations against or providing evidence.
Rajoelina, who was installed in power by the military after leading mass protests, said: “Criticism of existing problems does not necessarily have to be expressed in the streets; it should be done through dialogue.”
Gen Z protesters rejected the president’s speech. “He said we weren’t real people, that we were robots, accusing us of a cyber-attack on him and mass manipulation … It was very disrespectful actually,” said an 18-year-old activist.
He added: “Right now, we still want to protest. It was very peaceful this whole time … But at some point we won’t be able to control it if the young people want to get aggressive, because they [the security forces] respond to us with violence, but it triggers more violence and it makes us even more angry.”
Madagascar is one of the world’s poorest countries, despite a wealth of natural resources including precious gems and vanilla. The country of 32 million had an average annual income of just $545 last year, according to the World Bank.
Between independence in 1960 and 2020, income per capita fell 45% in real terms, the World Bank reported, which blamed an unaccountable elite exerting tight control over the country’s institutions and resources, as well as a lack of competition and transparency.
Rajoelina initially spent five years in power before stepping down in 2014. He became president again after winning the 2018 election and secured a third term in December 2023, in a poll that his opponents said was marred by irregularities.
The Malagasy protesters were inspired by other Gen Z protests in Nepal and Indonesia. They adapted a cartoon skull and cross bones flag from the Japanese anime series One Piece seen in other countries’ demonstrations, adding a local hat to their version.
Youth-led protests have also broken out in Morocco, where at least three people have been killed by security forces.
Agence France-Presse and Reuters contributed to this report
