Madagascar’s president, Andry Rajoelina, has fled the country after weeks of protests led largely by young people demanding his resignation, opposition leaders and officials said on Monday.
His departure follows days of escalating unrest, marked by defections from key army units and growing anger over corruption, power shortages, and deepening poverty.
Siteny Randrianasoloniaiko, the opposition leader in parliament, told Reuters that Mr Rajoelina left Madagascar on Sunday. “We called the staff of the presidency, and they confirmed that he left the country,” he said. The president’s current whereabouts remain unknown.
A senior military source said Rajoelina boarded a French military plane that took off from Sainte Marie airport on Sunday. French radio RFI later reported that he had reached an agreement with President Emmanuel Macron, though the details remain unclear.
The president’s office, which had earlier announced a televised address, has not commented.
A Government on the Brink
Protests first erupted on 25 September in Antananarivo over rolling power and water outages. Within days, demonstrations had swelled into a nationwide movement against the president’s rule — a rallying cry against years of graft, unemployment, and crumbling public services.
“People are tired,” said Adrianarivony Fanomegantsoa, a 22-year-old hotel worker earning about 300,000 ariary (£53) a month. “In sixteen years, the president and his government have done nothing except enrich themselves while the people stay poor. And the youth, the Gen Z, suffer the most.”
On Monday, thousands filled the capital’s main square, chanting, “The president must quit now.”
Army Units Join the Protesters
The unrest took a decisive turn over the weekend when CAPSAT, an elite military unit that once helped Rajoelina seize power in a 2009 coup, switched sides. The unit refused to fire on demonstrators and instead escorted them through the capital.
CAPSAT later declared that it was taking control of the armed forces and appointed a new army chief. Rajoelina, in one of his final public statements, warned of “an attempt to seize power” before disappearing from public view.
By Monday, parts of the gendarmerie had also joined the protests. A Reuters witness reported that a faction of the paramilitary police formally took control of their headquarters in the presence of senior officials.
The Senate, another target of protesters’ anger, announced that its president had been removed from office. Jean André Ndremanjary was named interim head, placing him constitutionally next in line to lead until new elections are held.
A Nation in Turmoil
At least 22 people have been killed in clashes between protesters and security forces since the unrest began, according to United Nations figures.
With a population of around 30 million — three-quarters of whom live in poverty — Madagascar remains one of the world’s poorest nations despite its natural wealth. Once a major exporter of vanilla, the island also depends on nickel, cobalt, textiles, and shrimp to sustain its fragile economy.
The World Bank reports that the country’s GDP per capita has fallen by nearly half since independence in 1960. For many young people, especially those under 25 who make up most of the population, the sense of betrayal runs deep.
As the sun set over Antananarivo on Monday, protesters vowed to keep occupying the city’s squares until a new government is formed.
“Madagascar has changed,” said Fanomegantsoa. “We’re not afraid anymore.”
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