Andry Rajoelina

Madagascar Coup: Gen Z Leaders Uneasy As Army Seizes Power

October 19, 2025 1:29 pm

When Colonel Michael Randrianirina seized power in Madagascar last week, he promised stability after weeks of youth-led protests that toppled President Andry Rajoelina. Yet for many of the young activists who ignited the uprising, the sudden military takeover feels like a betrayal of their movement’s call for genuine change.

“We were fighting for system change, not to replace one president with another,” said Olivia Rafetison, leader of the Movement Gen Z Collective, a coalition of protest groups that rallied thousands of young Malagasies across Antananarivo.

Earlier this month, what began as demonstrations over chronic electricity and water shortages swelled into …

Madagascar President To Address Nation Amid Military Unrest

October 13, 2025 7:10 am

Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina is set to address the nation on Monday evening, his office announced, following reports that officers supporting youth-led protests have seized control of the country’s paramilitary gendarmerie. The statement, posted on the presidency’s official Facebook page, comes amid the most serious challenge to his leadership since his re-election in 2023.

The president’s whereabouts remain unclear, even though he said he was still in the country. But he warned on Sunday of what he described as an “attempted power grab” after elements of the military began siding with demonstrators demanding political change. The planned address is expected …

Madagascar’s Leader Names General Amid Mass Protests

October 7, 2025 7:58 am

Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina has appointed an army general as his new prime minister, in what appears to be a last-ditch attempt to quell the youth-led demonstrations that have shaken his government for nearly two weeks.

In a late-night address from the presidential palace on Monday, Rajoelina announced the appointment of Divisional General Ruphin Fortunat Dimbisoa Zafisambo, promising a “clean, fast-working” administration ready to “save Madagascar.”

But on the streets of Antananarivo, the capital, anger shows no sign of cooling. Hundreds of young protesters — many mobilized through social media — once again marched toward the city center, only to …