 "Madagascar soldiers back anti-govt protests, name new army chief as president denounces ‘illegal power grab’")
A group of soldiers from Madagascar’s elite CAPSAT unit joined anti-government protesters for a second consecutive day on Sunday, installing a new military chief as President Andry Rajoelina condemned what he described as an “attempt to seize power illegally.”
The CAPSAT troops participated in a rally in the capital to honour those killed during more than two weeks of protests that began on September 25. The demonstrations have been fuelled by public anger over alleged corruption and government mismanagement.
On Saturday, the same military unit which played a key role in the 2009 coup that first brought Rajoelina to power announced that it would “refuse orders to shoot” at demonstrators.
Later, soldiers entered the city centre, where several thousand protesters greeted them with cheers and applause, hailing their decision to side with the movement.
Early Sunday the contingent claimed in a video statement that “from now on, all orders of the Malagasy army – whether land, air or the navy – will originate from CAPSAT headquarters”.
Hours later, its pick for new Chief of the Army Staff, General Demosthene Pikulas, was installed during a ceremony at the army headquarters attended by the armed forces minister, Manantsoa Deramasinjaka Rakotoarivelo.
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More Shorts“I give him my blessing,” said the minister, who was appointed by Rajoelina last week.
The country has been gripped by its most intense unrest in years, with three weeks of protests organised by a movement calling itself “Gen Z Madagascar.” According to the United Nations, 22 people have been killed and dozens injured in the violence, though the government disputes those figures.
In a statement, President Andry Rajoelina’s office said it “wishes to inform the nation and the international community that an attempt to seize power illegally and by force” has begun.
“Given the extreme seriousness of this situation, the President of the Republic strongly condemns this attempt at destabilisation and calls on all forces of the nation to stand together in defence of constitutional order and national sovereignty,” the statement added.
While the president’s office did not specify who was behind the power grab, members of the elite CAPSAT military unit were reported to have joined the anti-government demonstrations on Saturday.
The protests, which erupted on September 25, have been driven by anger over government corruption, nepotism, and failures in public services.
Rajoelina first came to prominence as the transitional leader of Madagascar following a 2009 coup. He was first elected president in 2018 and was reelected for a second term in 2023.
With inputs from agencies
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