Demonstrators in Madagascar have vowed to press on with their protests despite President Andry Rajoelina’s dramatic move to dissolve his entire government in a bid to quell escalating unrest that has left at least 22 people dead, according to the United Nations. Fresh rallies were called for Tuesday at 11:00 am local time (0800 GMT) in the capital, Antananarivo, as youth-led activists dismissed the president’s concessions as inadequate.
Inspired by recent “Gen Z” uprisings in Kenya, Indonesia and Nepal, the movement has coalesced around long-standing grievances over chronic misgovernance, relentless power cuts and severe water shortages across the Indian Ocean island nation. On Monday, Rajoelina announced the dismissal of his cabinet and appealed for calm, saying: “When the Malagasy people suffer, I want you to know that I feel that pain too. I have not slept, day or night, in my efforts to find solutions and improve the situation.” Yet his plea failed to stem the tide of anger on the streets.
Protesters—many dressed in black in mourning for those killed—accused the president of hypocrisy. “They call us the TikTok generation, a generation of idiots,” said one student demonstrator. “And when we rise up, they won’t even let us speak. Andry Rajoelina, when you led protests, you were allowed to—it was fine. But when we young people rise to fight for our country, you try to silence us.”
Rajoelina first came to power in 2009 through a coup that ousted then-president Marc Ravalomanana. He stepped down in 2014 under international pressure but returned to office after winning the 2018 election and was re-elected in December 2023—a vote his opponents claimed was marred by irregularities.
The UN has confirmed that at least 22 civilians have been killed and more than 100 injured in clashes with security forces since the protests began last week. The Malagasy government has rejected these figures as “unverified” and “based on rumours,” though independent media and eyewitness accounts support the rising toll.
Last week’s demonstrations in Antananarivo descended into widespread looting overnight, prompting authorities to shift tactics. Security forces have now entered what they describe as a “restoration of public order” phase, declaring that looters will no longer be treated as protesters but as “public enemies” and warning they will use lethal force if necessary. Tear gas was deployed on Tuesday to disperse hundreds of young demonstrators who defied the crackdown and returned to the streets.
Curfews have been imposed across major cities, with Antananarivo under restrictions from 8:00 pm to 5:00 am, Antsirabe from 7:00 pm to 4:00 am, Antsiranana (Diego Suarez) from 7:00 pm to 5:00 am, Mahajanga (Majunga) from 8:00 pm to 4:30 am, and Toliara (Tulear) from 7:00 pm to 5:00 am. Other municipalities may have enacted similar measures, and residents are urged to monitor local media for updates.
Despite the unrest, Ivato International Airport in Antananarivo remains open, though some flights have been disrupted. The US Embassy has suspended routine consular services for Wednesday, 2 October, and strongly advises all American citizens to shelter in place—particularly at night.
Protests have spread beyond the capital, with marches reported in Fenoarivo (20km west of Antananarivo), Mahajanga (510km northwest), and Diego Suarez (950km north), according to local media. Organisers on the movement’s Facebook page expressed disappointment with Rajoelina’s address and demanded an apology from both the president and the now-dismissed prime minister, as well as the removal of Antananarivo’s city administrator. Others carried placards reading: “We need water, we need electricity, Rajoelina out.”
These four days of demonstrations—among the largest Madagascar has seen in years—represent the most serious challenge to Rajoelina’s authority since his re-election.
Madagascar remains one of the world’s poorest nations, despite being the globe’s leading producer of vanilla—the second most expensive spice after saffron. Decades of political instability and economic mismanagement have left much of the population without reliable access to basic utilities, fuelling a new generation’s demand for accountability, dignity and change.