ANTANANARIVO: Madagascar&#39;s presidency said on Sunday that an attempt to grab power by force was underway in the African nation as more soldiers joined a youth-led protest movement that has rocked the former French colony for more than two weeks. Troops from the elite CAPSAT unit that helped President Andry Rajoelina seize power in a 2009 coup, urged fellow soldiers to disobey orders on Saturday and back the youth-led protests, which began on September 25 and pose the most serious challenge to Rajoelina&#39;s rule since his reelection in 2023. CAPSAT officers said on Sunday they had command over the country&#39;s security operations and would coordinate all branches of the military from their base on the outskirts of the capital, Antananarivo. They said they had appointed General Demosthene Pikulas as head of the army. A unit of the paramilitary gendarmerie, which had so far tackled the protests together with the police, also broke ranks with the government on Sunday. &quot;All use of force and any improper behaviour towards our fellow citizens are prohibited, as the gendarmerie is a force meant to protect people and not to defend the interests of a few individuals,&quot; the Intervention Forces of the National Gendarmerie said in a statement broadcast on Real TV. It said it was coordinating with the CAPSAT headquarters. The Defence Ministry and the military general staff declined to comment. A Reuters witness saw three people injured after shots were fired along a road to the CAPSAT barracks on Sunday. Other witnesses said there was no sign of ongoing clashes. In a statement on the presidency&#39;s official social media account, Rajoelina&#39;s office said &quot;an attempted illegal and forcible seizure of power&quot; was underway, adding that the president had urged &quot;dialogue to resolve the crisis&quot;. Rajoelina&#39;s whereabouts were unknown on Sunday, but late on Saturday his office said he and the prime minister were &quot;fully in control of the nation&#39;s affairs&quot;. Gen Z protesters want president to step down The protests, inspired by Gen Z-led movements in Kenya and Nepal, began over water and electricity shortages but have since spread, with demonstrators calling for Rajoelina to step down, apologise for violence against protesters, and dissolve the Senate and electoral commission. Some demonstrators have been sporting T-shirts and flags with the same symbol - a skull with a straw hat from the Japanese manga series &quot;One Piece&quot; - used by youth-led demonstrators in countries including Indonesia and Peru. Thousands of protesters gathered in Antananarivo on Sunday to protest against the government and pay tribute to a slain CAPSAT soldier, whom the army unit said was killed by the gendarmerie on Saturday. The peaceful gathering was attended by church leaders and opposition politicians, including former President Marc Ravalomanana, as well as CAPSAT troops. Madagascar, a country where the median age is less than 20, has a population of about 30 million - three-quarters of whom live in poverty, according to the World Bank. A video broadcast by local media showed dozens of soldiers leaving the barracks on Saturday to escort thousands of protesters into the May 13 Square in Antananarivo, the scene of many political uprisings, which had been heavily guarded and off limits during the unrest. The African Union Commission&#39;s chief Mahmoud Ali Youssouf called for calm and restraint. Citing the security situation on the ground, Air France-KLM&#39;s AIRF.PA French division suspended flights between Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport and Antananarivo from October 11 to October

Protesters cheer members of the Madagascar military behind a fence during a nationwide youth-led demonstration over frequent power outages and water shortages, in Antananarivo, Madagascar, October 11, 2025. (Reuters)

Africa

Madagascar faces an attempted coup as elite soldiers join youth protests demanding President Rajoelina’s resignation amid unrest, with calls for dialogue and flight suspensions.

Madagascar president warns of coup attempt as more soldiers join protests

Maham Khan

ISLAMABAD: Youth-led protests are reshaping political activism across Asia and Africa in 2025, with digital media emerging as a powerful tool for demanding systemic change. The &quot;Gen Z Protests&quot; began in Bangladesh in July 2024, led by young Bengali students demanding the removal of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. In 2025, similar youth-led protests spread from Timor-Leste and the Philippines to Nepal, Morocco, and Madagascar, driven by issues like corruption, economic inequality, infrastructure failures, and mass censorship. Madagascar targets elite control In Madagascar, protests erupted in September 2025 over prolonged water and power outages, widespread poverty, and government corruption. Protestors also condemned political elites. The World Bank reported that Madagascar&#39;s income per capita has fallen by 45% since 1960, with a &quot;small, unaccountable elite&quot; maintaining tight control over the economy, according to Reuters. Protesters have highlighted this inequality, using digital platforms to expose systemic issues. According to Reuters, the demonstrations have been &quot;the largest the Indian Ocean island has seen in years,&quot; with protesters demanding the president&#39;s resignation and the dissolution of key government institutions. <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/83df9db8-ae2c-41ce-8eb3-626969019c3d-Madagascar police react to protesters demonstrating against chronic electricity and water cuts in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (AP).jpg" alt="Madagascar police react to protesters demonstrating against chronic electricity and water cuts in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (AP)" class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic" style="line-height: 2;">Madagascar police react to protesters demonstrating against chronic electricity and water cuts in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (AP)</figcaption></figure>Social media fuels coordination The digital strategy driving these protests is remarkably sophisticated. Inspired by youth-led movements in Kenya and Nepal, Madagascar&#39;s Gen Z activists have used social media to coordinate nationwide demonstrations. &quot;This is not a retreat but a strategy: we will come back together more united, stronger,&quot; the protest movement&#39;s leadership declared in a Facebook post, as reported by Reuters on Thursday. The protests have spread beyond the capital, with protestors in far-off cities also chanting &quot;Rajoelina Out&quot; and carrying banners denouncing the government. Despite the country&rsquo;s president dissolving the government on Monday, AP reported that public anger continues to simmer. Nepal&rsquo;s activism blueprint Nepal&#39;s recent protests offer a blueprint for digital activism. When the government banned 26 social media platforms on September 4, 2025, activists shifted to alternative channels like Discord and used VPNs to bypass restrictions. The widespread youth-led protests escalated, leading to violent clashes and the eventual resignation of Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli. The movement showed how digital tools can directly challenge political power. Digital power driving change These movements reveal a fundamental shift in political engagement. Digital platforms have transformed from communication tools to instruments of political change, allowing young people to organize, broadcast their messages, and challenge existing power structures with unprecedented speed and coordination.

People protest against corruption and calling for healthcare and education reform, in Casablanca, Morocco, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP)

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Youth-led Gen Z protests began in Bangladesh in 2024 and spread across Asia and Africa by 2025. Using digital platforms, activists oppose corruption, inequality, and poor infrastructure, demanding political change and elite accountability.

Articles tagged with "Gen Z protests 2025"

Madagascar president warns of coup attempt as more soldiers join protests

Gen Z protests: Digital platforms fuel change from Asia to Africa