Summary of Events in Madagascar: From Youth Protests to Military Rule
Madagascar has witnessed rapid political shifts that began with protests led by Generation Z against power and water outages, escalating into an uprising against President Andry Rajoelina. A colonel from the elite army joined the protesters, leading to the president’s flight and the army’s assumption of power under Colonel Michael Andrianirina. While some welcomed the army’s intervention, there are concerns about replacing one regime with another without achieving real change. The youth demand a radical change in the political and economic system, improvement of basic services, and affirm that they are ready to return to the streets if their demands are not met.
When a colonel in the elite army joined Generation Z’s protests in Madagascar earlier this month, forcing the president to flee the country, Olivia Rafeteson, leader of the youth movement, felt relieved to have protection from men carrying weapons, after weeks of official repression.
She said, “He told us: we are with the people, we will help you, we are on your side. The Malagasy were uniting for one cause,” referring to the protests against power and water outages that turned into an uprising against President Andry Rajoelina.
Days later, Colonel Michael Andrianirina announced that the army was in command.
“It went from protecting the people to controlling power. I’m not saying I’m against it… but I feel some hesitation,” said Rafeteson, 28.
Andrianirina was sworn in as president just three days after taking power following the demonstrations that ousted his predecessor. He announced that the army would rule alongside a civilian government for up to two years before holding new elections.
Rafeteson, leader of the “Generation Z Group,” a coalition of several protest groups, is not the only one feeling hesitant about a man in military uniform filling the political void left by Rajoelina’s departure. Many wonder if their demands will be taken into account or ignored as before.
On the night of the coup, Andrianirina received the movement’s leader, Rafeteson, and prominent figures from Generation Z. She said, “He told us: we are listening to you,” but the soldiers were exhausted and ended the conversation quickly, suggesting it be continued later.
She added, “I hope they follow up on it. Because this is not the end of the struggle: we are fighting to change the system, not just to install one president instead of another.”
The youth of Madagascar, with an average age of 19, face a series of problems resulting from successive mismanagement by older men.
Even Rajoelina, who was the youngest president in the world when he took power in a coup in 2009, disappointed the youth by failing to achieve prosperity or provide basic services until he was overthrown in his fifties.
World Bank data shows that Madagascar’s per capita GDP nearly halved between independence from France in 1960 and 2020, making it one of the few countries whose economic situation deteriorated during that period.
The country has witnessed several periods of military rule or military dominance, often ending in disastrous results for the economy.
Today, the streets of Antananarivo are crowded with vendors and beggars struggling to make a living.
Alicia Andriana, from the Malagasy Students Association, in a downtown club used as a meeting center for Generation Z movements during the day, said, “Everyone is exploiting the system, no one cares. Even if people die of hunger, it means nothing to them.”
Andriana expressed gratitude for the army’s intervention, but when asked if she was satisfied with the outcome, she replied, “No, not really. Not yet, because we haven’t gotten what we asked for. We asked for water, electricity, and enough food for every family,” adding that the coup leaders need to “establish a new system that changes life in Madagascar.”
Some components of the Generation Z movement in Madagascar are concerned about the possibility of continued military rule.
A Facebook group called “Generation Z Tonga Saina,” with 18,000 members, warned on Thursday evening that the army “protects the interests of the regime, not the interests of the people.”
Ketakandriana Rafitoson, vice president of Transparency International, who helped organize some of the initial protests, and is Malagasy, said that coups are always undesirable for democracy, but in this case, there was a “clear unwillingness of political leaders to address grievances,” followed by violent repression and then the president’s flight without a credible civilian alternative.
She added, “An organized armed unit was the only institution practically and quickly able to stop the bloodshed and reopen the civil space.”
However, the new youth activists in Madagascar will not wait forever to restore the civil space they fought for.
“We can’t be sure that the military government will listen, but we can hope,” said Tolotra Andrianirina, spokesman for the Generation Z campaign (23 years old).
He added, “We will return to the streets. We did it once, and we can do it again if necessary.”
source: 961 today
