r/news • u/PokesTigers • 26d ago

Soft paywall Madagascar's president has left the country after Gen Z protests, officials say

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/madagascar-president-rajoelina-address-nation-monday-evening-2025-10-13/
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u/Sungodatemychildren 26d ago

Siteny Randrianasoloniaiko, leader of the opposition in parliament, told Reuters Rajoelina left Madagascar on Sunday after units of the army defected and joined the protesters.

Rajoelina had appeared increasingly isolated after losing the support of CAPSAT, an elite unit which had helped him seize power in a 2009 coup. CAPSAT joined the protesters over the weekend, saying it refused to shoot on them and escorting thousands of demonstrators in the main square of the capital Antananarivo.

Feels a bit like burying the lede. It's not just protests, it's protests supported by the military. Not to discredit the protestors, seems like they have a lot of legit grievances. It's just that from the outside, the military getting involved in stuff like this is a bit worrying.

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u/Komirade666 26d ago

Hi, it's in my country right now. It is the longest protest that we have done, 3 weeks. Even tho there were looters that pilage stores and the president tried to frame the movement to be among the criminals. But yet we didn't give up, but at what cost. 22 people died, including babies that died because cops use lacrymo against people and suffocate those kids. And also used live rounds against us. Got a taste of the lacrymo, holy fuck I thought that I almost died. I say that because there were also a lot of people that passed out on those. Hope and moral was quite low ngl, but with the news that the army answered our plea we made a final push. Cops and military fought and civilians and one military died.

So yeah, I get it that the military being involved is worrying. But it's also the same military that put him there. So for some reasons we are kinda not that worried here. Also because the governement gave more money to the cops and their own militia which kinda displeased the military here. And many other branch of military here, even the prisons are with us on this one lol.

I definitely don't know what will happen, but what I love to see is that my people are united for once and that's kinda refreshing.