Madagascar president warns of coup plot as soldiers join protests

Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina says there is an ongoing plot to grab power illegally as soldiers joined the youth-led protests that have shaken the Indian Ocean country for weeks.

The protesters are demanding that Rajoelina step down.

On Saturday, CAPSAT forces, an elite army unit in the country, joined the protests against the president.

CAPSAT condemned the use of force against civilians and urged fellow soldiers to refuse orders to open fire on protesters.

Their arrival was greeted with cheers from demonstrators, some of whom had clashed with security officials during the week.

The CAPSAT unit had supported Rajoelina during the 2009 coup that first brought him to power.

He later won the presidential election in 2018, completed a full term and was re-elected in 2023.

As the protests got underway, Madagascar’s presidency issued a statement on Sunday saying an attempt to take power by force had been initiated on national territory.

The statement said Rajoelina condemned the move, insisting on dialogue as the “only way out”.

Hours after the announcement, CAPSAT said it had taken over the leadership of the military command and is now in control of all the armed forces – land, air, and naval.

The army unit also named Demosthene Pikulas, a general, as its new chief of staff.

It is the most serious problem Rajoelina has had to tackle since his re-election.

The president has since dissolved his cabinet and named a new prime minister.

But that has done little to soothe the raging protesters.