Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina said on Sunday that an attempted coup was underway in the Indian Ocean country after an elite army unit known as CAPSAT asserted control of the military, calling for his resignation following anti-government protests.
A statement from Rajoelina’s office said she wanted to inform the nation and the international community that an “illegal and armed attempt to seize power” had “begun”.
“Given the extreme gravity of this situation, the Office of the President strongly condemns this destabilizing attempt and calls on all sides of the nation to unite in the defense of constitutional order and national sovereignty.”
Rajoelina’s office did not provide details about who was behind the attempt, and there were no immediate signs of violence on the streets Sunday.
The situation comes after three weeks of the island nation’s largest protests, with the elite CAPSAT unit claiming command of the military.
Madagascar’s Armed Forces Minister on Sunday recognized an officer chosen by a military group supporting demonstrators calling on President Andriy Rajoelina to resign as the country’s new army chief.
Minister of the Armed Forces Manantsoa Derramasinjaka Rakotoarivelo attended a ceremony at the Army Headquarters where General Demosthene Pikulas was appointed as Chief of Army Staff.
At least 22 people killed in weeks of youth protests
The United Nations says at least 22 people have been killed and dozens injured in the protests, led by a group calling themselves “Gen Z Madagascar.” The government disputes this figure.
On Saturday, CAPSAT troops also took part in weeks of protests that are reportedly among the largest since the uprising began on September 25th.
The force’s commander, Col. Michael Landrianilina, said one soldier was killed Saturday when his forces exchanged fire with security forces trying to quell the protests.
Landria Anilina told the crowd from an armored vehicle that Rajoelina, the new prime minister, the gendarmerie minister and the gendarmerie commander “must leave power.” That’s it. ”
“Should we call this a coup? I don’t know yet,” Landria-Anilina said.
Rajoelina’s whereabouts are unknown.
The president’s whereabouts were not immediately known by Sunday. Rajoelina’s government said in a statement that he remained in the country and had not fled.
Rajoelina, 51, first came to power as leader of a transitional government after a military-backed coup in 2009 forced then-president Marc Ravalomanana to flee the country. He returned to power in 2014 but has not held the office of president since then.
Meanwhile, Air France’s French arm announced in an email message on Sunday that flights between Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and Madagascar’s capital Antananarivo will not operate from October 11 to October 13 “due to the security situation there.”
Air France said that “resumption of flights will continue to be subject to daily assessment of the situation” and that it is closely monitoring the situation with authorities.
Madagascar, a large island with a population of 31 million off the east coast of Africa, gained independence from France in 1960 and then ousted several leaders in a coup d’état.