Madagascar: President confirms coup attempt as elite army unit joins protests

Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina has notified the international community and the African nation that an attempted coup is underway in Madagascar with soldiers defying orders and joining citizens in their protests against the government.

Rajoelina provided the update on Sunday following escalation of protests on with the military defying orders and joining the youth-led protests, expressing that “attempt to seize power illegally and by force” is underway.

The Presidency of the Republic wishes to inform the nation and the international community that an attempt to seize power illegally and by force, contrary to the Constitution and to democratic principles, is currently underway on the national territory.

The statement came on a dramatic day that saw a renegade military unit in Madagascar announce complete takeover of the country’s armed forces, noting that all orders will now come from the unit.

The unit which helped Rajoelina ascend to power in 2009 switched sides and joined the youth-led protests followed by the release of a video message that confirmed its position.

“From now on, all orders of the Malagasy army – whether land, air or [naval] – will originate from CAPSAT headquarters,” officers from the unit announced in a video message on Sunday, October 12.

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Today’s events that which has deepened the crisis in the Indian Ocean island nation leaves the future of Madagascar on the balance preceded by a tense 24 hours on Saturday which saw significant developments play out.

Below is a timeline of the key events, the issues behind the crisis and

Saturday, October 11: Madagascar thrown into confusion

Thousands face off with police and make it to the iconic May 13 Square in Antananarivo despite police using stun grenades, bullets and tear gas.

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As police attempted to use more stun guns, teargas and bullets on the unarmed crowd, soldiers moved into May 13 Square with the crowd cheering to welcome them.

Groups of soldiers also took to the streets of Antananarivo, chanting slogans and joining thousands of protesters to demand the president’s resignation. They accuse the president of authoritarian rule and corruption with the concerns of the citizenry remaining largely ignored by the political elite.

Elite CAPSAT unite declare solidarity with citizens

The elite soldiers in the CAPSAT unit later on issued a public call for solidarity with the citizenry and demanded the president’s resignation while urging soldiers at the airport to “prevent all aircraft from taking off” and those in other camps to “refuse orders to shoot your friends”.

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“Let us join forces, military, gendarmes, and police, and refuse to be paid to shoot our friends, our brothers and our sisters,” CAPSAT unit based in the Soanierana district stated in a video circulated on social media.

From protests against water & power to anti-government campaign

After raising concerns with little or no action from the country’s leadership, citizens of Madagascar mobilised themselves across social media and offline to take to the streets.

At the heart of the protests were the country’s youthful population with mounting anger over frequent power and acute water shortages reaching boiling point in September with citizens taking to the streets.

Security agencies were deployed swiftly to quell the youth-led protests with fatalities and casualties reported.

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Protests continued in the following days, with crowds growing bigger and evolved from power outages and water shortage to a broader antigovernment campaign.