Madagascar’s presidency said Sunday that an “attempted illegal and forcible seizure of power” was underway, a day after some soldiers joined a protest movement that began last month.
Troops from the elite CAPSAT unit that helped President Andry Rajoelina seize power in a 2009 coup, urged fellow soldiers to disobey orders and back the youth-led protests, which began on Sept. 25 and pose the most serious challenge to Rajoelina's rule since his reelection in 2023.
A Reuters witness saw three people injured after shots were fired along a road to the CAPSAT barracks Sunday. Other witnesses said there was no sign of ongoing clashes.
Rival forces claimed Sunday to have command over security operations in the country, with one group – representing the CAPSAT soldiers – saying it would coordinate all branches of the military from its base on the outskirts of Antananarivo.
Spokespeople for the Defense Ministry and the military general staff declined to comment.
The gendarmerie, which has tackled the protests for the last few weeks together with the police and has been accused by protesters of using excessive force, said its orders would come "exclusively from the National Gendarmerie Command Center."
The protests, inspired by Gen Z-led movements in Kenya and Nepal, began over water and electricity shortages but have since escalated, with demonstrators calling for Rajoelina to step down, apologize for violence against protesters, and dissolve the Senate and electoral commission.
Thousands gathered in Antananarivo on Sunday to protest against the government and pay tribute to a slain CAPSAT soldier, whom the army unit alleged was killed by the gendarmerie on Saturday.
The peaceful gathering was attended by church leaders and opposition politicians, including former President Marc Ravalomana, in addition to CAPSAT troops.
In a statement on the presidency's official social media account, Rajoelina's office said he condemned attempts to destabilize the country and urged "dialogue to resolve the crisis.
The African Union commission's chief, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, on Sunday welcomed "the government's renewed commitment to dialogue" and called for calm and restraint.
Videos on social media on Saturday showed CAPSAT soldiers urging fellow troops to "support the people."
A video broadcast by local media showed that dozens of soldiers left the barracks later on Saturday to escort thousands of protesters into the May 13 Square in Antananarivo, the scene of many political uprisings, which had been heavily guarded and off limits during the unrest.
