How Madagascar's Nepal-like Gen-Z protests forced its president to flee

Typical of the youth-led movements seen in South Asia in recent years, Madagascar, a small African country, has been rocked by weeks of protests by its Gen-Z over corruption, forcing its president to flee. The unrest mirrored recent protests in nations like Nepal and Bangladesh, where protests by the youth over issues like a lack of basic services quickly snowballed into a broader agitation against the ruling elites.

The agitation, which began as an uprising against water and power shortages on September 25, swiftly descended into an anti-government protest. The ensuing violence has left over 22 people dead and over 100 injured - figures rejected by the government.

The protests, organised by Gen Z Madagascar, a social media youth group, gained momentum after Madagascar's elite military unit backed the agitation. It eventually forced President Andry Rajoelina to flee the nation on October 12.

HOW THE PROTESTS STARTED

Fed up over frequent water and electricity cuts, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in cities across the country last month.

According to the Monetary Fund, only a third of the country's 30 million population have access to electricity. Power cuts often exceed over eight hours. Reports of corruption and mismanagement in Jirama, the state energy company, have only fuelled public anger.

However, what began as a peaceful demonstration quickly turned violent as police deployed tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters. Over the next few days, the streets of Madagascar witnessed a pitched battle between the police and Gen-Z protesters, who responded by throwing stones and bricks.

The unrest brought life to a standstill in one of the world's poorest countries, with 75% of people living below the poverty line. Shops were ransacked, and the homes of some legislators were vandalised.

It seemed the protests would die down after Rajoelina, who came to power through a military coup in 2009 and was elected again in 2018, sacked his entire cabinet. However, the agitators remained firm on their demand for his removal.

A MILITARY COUP?

Eventually, the same military unit, named CAPSAT, that brought Rajoelina to power, forced him to leave the African nation as it backed the young protesters. Not only did the military turn down the government's order to fire at the protesters, it marched along them to the main square at Antananarivo, the capital.

The elite unit then took charge of the military over the weekend by appointing its own army chief. Rajoelina called it an attempt to seize power.

But, it was too late for the president, a former DJ and media tycoon, who himself campaigned for reform in the lead up to the elections.

According to a report in Reuters, the Madagascar president flew out of the country, a former French colony, on a French military aircraft, indicating that France might have had a hand in his escape.

However, French President Macron, who was in Egypt to attend a summit on the Gaza ceasefire, declined to reveal if France had a role in helping Rajoelina flee.

On Tuesday, an embattled Rajoelina dissolved the national assembly and in an address streamed on Facebook, claimed that a "group of military personnel and politicians" planned to assassinate him. "I was forced to find a safe place to protect my life," he said.

His whereabouts, however, remain unknown.

- Ends

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