Security forces in Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo, fired teargas on Tuesday to disperse hundreds of young protesters who returned to the streets despite President Andry Rajoelina’s move to dissolve the government in an attempt to ease tensions.
Rajoelina announced on state television late on Monday that he had dismissed the prime minister and dissolved the cabinet to “create room for dialogue” with youth-led movements demanding access to clean water, stable electricity, and relief for businesses hit by recent looting. He also pledged further reforms to address public grievances.
But protest organisers rejected his overture, posting on their movement’s Facebook page that they were “disappointed” by his speech and demanded an apology from both the president and the dismissed prime minister, as well as the firing of Antananarivo’s city administrator.
Demonstrators carried placards reading, “We need water, we need electricity, Rajoelina out,” according to footage aired by Real TV Madagasikara. Protests also spread beyond the capital, with rallies reported in the nearby town of Fenoarivo, in Mahajanga on the northwest coast, and in Diego Suarez in the far north, local media outlets 2424.MG and Fitaproduction said.
The unrest, now in its fourth consecutive day, has been described as Madagascar’s largest in years and the most serious challenge to Rajoelina since his re-election in December 2023, a poll opposition candidates claimed was tainted by irregularities.
Inspired by youth-led “Gen Z” protest movements in Kenya and Nepal, Malagasy demonstrators have adopted similar tactics, including the use of social media to mobilise rallies and the flag of Nepal’s recent protest movement as a symbol of resistance.
The United Nations says at least 22 people have been killed and more than 100 injured since the demonstrations began last week. Madagascar’s foreign ministry, however, has rejected the UN figures, insisting they were based on rumours and not verified by national authorities.
Rajoelina, who first seized power in a 2009 coup before returning through elections in 2018 and again in 2023, now faces one of the most significant tests of his rule as protests gain momentum across the Indian Ocean island nation.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
