A unit of the Malagasy army, which called for disobedience, stated this Sunday, October 12, that it was taking control of the army in a country shaken by anti-government demonstrations, and President Andry Rajoelina denounced an “attempted illegal seizure of power.”
“From now on, all orders of the Malagasy army, land, air and sea, will emanate from the CAPSAT headquarters (Army Administrative and Technical Services and Personnel Corps),” the officers of this contingent announced in a video statement.
There was no immediate reaction from other military units or the military command, as a new concentration of protesters was taking place in the capital on Sunday.
A new general at the head of the army
The officers added that they had appointed General Demosthenes Pikulas to head the army, a position vacant since the former leader was named minister of the Armed Forces last week, without it being immediately known whether the appointment could be considered official.
In 2009, the CAPSAT contingent based in the district of Soanierana, on the outskirts of the Malagasy capital, Antananarivo, had already led a mutiny during the popular uprising that brought the current president to power. This same unit announced on Saturday that it would “refuse to obey the order to shoot” against protesters and condemned the recent police repression.
Soldiers then entered the capital in military vehicles to join protesters, who greeted them jubilantly and called for Rajoelina to resign, marking a major turning point in an anti-government protest movement that has lasted more than two weeks. The soldiers confronted the gendarmes in front of a barracks.
“Failures and excesses”
President Rajoelina said on Sunday that an “attempted illegal and forceful seizure of power” was 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 democratic principles, is currently being carried out in the national territory,” Rajoelina declared in a press release.
“Dialogue is the only way forward and the only solution to the crisis the country is currently facing,” he said, calling for “unity.” Gendarmerie agents, accused of violence against protesters, published a video statement on Sunday morning acknowledging “errors and excesses during our interventions” and calling for “brotherhood” between the army and the gendarmes.
“We are here to protect, not to terrorize,” they said, adding that “from now on, all orders will come only” from gendarmerie headquarters.
Saturday’s demonstration in Antananarivo was one of the largest since the start of the September 25 protest, launched by the Generation Z movement to protest against water and electricity cuts and which became a challenge to the political leaders in power, starting with President Andry Raojelina.
A government “willing to collaborate”
On Saturday night, the new Prime Minister, General Ruphin Zafisambo, assured that the Government, “which remains firm”, is “willing to collaborate and listen to all forces: the youth, the unions and the army.” For its part, the presidency published a press release assuring that President Andry Rajoelina “remains in the country” and “continues to manage national affairs.”
The African Union Commission on Sunday urged “all Malagasy stakeholders, civil and military, to show calm and restraint.” Neighboring South Africa also called on “all parties to respect the democratic process and constitutional order.”
At least 22 people have died since the start of the protests and more than a hundred have been injured, according to a United Nations report. President Rajoelina on Wednesday denied “erroneous figures” and estimated the “loss of lives” at 12, all “looters, thugs,” according to him.
According to local media, emergency services reported two new deaths and 26 additional injuries on Saturday. The CAPSAT unit said police also shot dead a soldier.
Madagascar, one of the world’s poorest countries, has seen frequent popular uprisings since its independence from France in 1960, including mass protests in 2009 that forced then-president Marc Ravalomanana from power when the military installed Rajoelina for his first term. The latter was re-elected in 2018 and then in 2023, during elections contested and boycotted by the opposition.
Source: BFM TV
