Madagascar’s presidency declared on Sunday that “an attempted illegal and forcible seizure of power” was underway, a day after soldiers from an elite unit joined mass protests against President Andry Rajoelina. The dramatic turn heightens a political crisis that has roiled the island nation for weeks.
In recent days, troops from the CAPSAT (Personnel and Services Administration Corps) unit, urged fellow soldiers to defy orders and back youth-led demonstrations that began September 25. The protests, originally sparked by water and power outages, have since evolved into calls for Rajoelina’s resignation and institutional reform.
This development represents the most intense challenge to Rajoelina’s rule since his reelection in 2023. This is because the CAPSAT troops were instrumental in the 2009 coup that brought him to power. Their defection signals a breakdown in military loyalty.
In a video statement, CAPSAT officers asserted that “from now on, all orders of the Malagasy army — whether land, air or naval — will originate from CAPSAT headquarters.” They named General Demosthène Pikulas to lead their command structure.
The gendarmerie, which has been deployed in recent weeks amid protest policing, stated that its orders would come “exclusively from the National Gendarmerie Command Center.” Officials from the defence ministry declined to comment.
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On Sunday, thousands gathered in the capital to protest and to mourn a CAPSAT soldier said to have been killed in a clash with gendarmerie forces. Opposition leaders, church figures, and former president Marc Ravalomanana joined demonstrators in calling for an end to violence and for peaceful resolution.
A statement from the presidency strongly condemned any attempt to destabilize the country and called for dialogue to resolve the crisis. Rajoelina’s office insisted he remained in the country and continued to oversee national affairs.
The African Union welcomed the government’s renewed “commitment to dialogue” and urged calm and restraint from all sides.
The switch by CAPSAT brings to memory the 2009 Camp Capsat mutiny, when the same unit helped overthrow then-President Marc Ravalomanana and install Rajoelina as transitional leader.
Several questions are still left unanswered because of this move by CAPSAT. Will other parts of the military rally behind CAPSAT’s claim to control? Will the gendarmerie resist or align? Can a negotiated settlement emerge before violence spirals further? And would there actually be a coup?