Fresh Protests Erupt in Madagascar Despite Government Concessions

Security forces in Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo, fired teargas on Tuesday to disperse hundreds of young demonstrators who once again took to the streets, undeterred by President Andry Rajoelina’s decision to dissolve the government in a bid to ease tensions.

Rajoelina, addressing the nation on state television late Monday, said the move was intended to open space for dialogue with the youth-led protest movement. He also pledged new measures to ensure access to water, curb electricity shortages, and support businesses hit by looting.

But protest organisers, writing on the movement’s Facebook page, voiced disappointment at the president’s address. They demanded a public apology from both Rajoelina and the dismissed prime minister, as well as the removal of Antananarivo’s administrator. On the streets, frustration was more visible: placards bearing slogans such as “We need water, we need electricity, Rajoelina out” were carried through the capital, according to footage aired on the privately owned Real TV Madagasikara.

Demonstrations also spread beyond Antananarivo. Marches were reported in Fenoarivo, 20 km west of the capital, as well as in Mahajanga, 510 km northwest, and Diego Suarez, nearly 950 km to the north, according to local outlets 2424.MG and Fitaproduction.

The unrest has taken a mounting toll. The United Nations reported at least 22 fatalities and more than 100 injuries since the protests began last week, now in their fourth consecutive day. Madagascar’s foreign ministry, however, has disputed the UN’s figures, dismissing them as unverified and based on “rumours or misinformation.”

The demonstrations, largely driven by young activists, draw inspiration from recent “Gen Z” protest movements in Kenya and Nepal. In Antananarivo, protesters brandished a flag adapted from Nepal’s recent uprising, while organisers used social media tactics echoing last year’s tax protest mobilisation in Kenya.

The crisis represents the most significant challenge to Rajoelina since his re-election in December 2023—a contest opposition parties claim was marred by irregularities. Rajoelina, who first seized power in a 2009 coup, stepped down in 2014 before returning to win elections in 2018 and again in 2023.

As the demonstrations widen in scope and intensity, calls for systemic reform are growing louder, leaving the government under mounting pressure to offer more than symbolic concessions.