Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina has fled the country amid a rapidly escalating youth-led uprising that has shaken the nation’s political establishment. The opposition confirmed on Monday that Rajoelina left Madagascar on Sunday, just hours after losing key support within the military.
“We called the staff of the presidency and they confirmed that he left the country,” said Siteny Randrianasoloniaiko, the leader of the opposition in parliament. The president’s current location remains unknown.
A military source told Reuters that Rajoelina was flown out on a French military aircraft from Sainte Marie airport. French radio RFI reported that the escape came after a deal was struck with President Emmanuel Macron. According to the source, a helicopter transferred Rajoelina to a French Army Casa aircraft shortly before departure.
The departure marks the climax of a protest movement that began on September 25 over water and power shortages but quickly turned into a nationwide revolt against corruption, bad governance, and inequality. The uprising is part of a wider wave of Gen Z–driven movements across the globe, echoing similar unrest in Nepal and Morocco.
Army Defection Turns the Tide
The president’s fall was accelerated when CAPSAT — the elite military unit that had helped him seize power in a 2009 coup — broke ranks and joined the protesters over the weekend. Soldiers escorted thousands of demonstrators into Antananarivo’s May 13 Square, refusing orders to open fire.
The defection was followed by a major shift within the paramilitary gendarmerie, which also threw its support behind the protesters and assumed control at a formal ceremony on Monday.
With both the army and gendarmerie turning against him, Rajoelina’s position collapsed in less than 48 hours. The Senate president was removed from office amid public anger, and Jean André Ndremanjary was appointed as interim Senate leader — a position that now places him constitutionally as acting head of state until elections are held.
‘The President Must Quit’
On Monday, thousands of protesters filled the capital’s main square, chanting for Rajoelina’s resignation. “In 16 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,” said Adrianarivony Fanomegantsoa, a 22-year-old hotel worker.
The United Nations reports at least 22 people killed since protests began, though local activists claim the toll may be higher.
Madagascar, with a population of about 30 million and a median age below 20, faces deep economic inequality. More than three-quarters of its people live in poverty, and frustration over decades of stagnation has boiled over in recent weeks.
As Rajoelina’s whereabouts remain uncertain and the military consolidates control, Madagascar faces a volatile transition that could reshape the country’s political future.
