Madagascar's President Andry Rajoelina left the country on Sunday evening after factions of the army rallied behind the protesters who have been staging weeks of demonstrations, FRANCE 24 sister station Radio France Internationale (RFI) reported on Monday.
Issued on: 13/10/2025
By: FRANCE 24
Malagasy President Andry Rajoelina during the Independence Day celebrations in Antananarivo, June 26, 2021. © AFP
After a stopover on France's Reunion Island, Rajoelina reportedly arrived in Dubai on Monday morning.
Madagascar has been engulfed in a political crisis since late last month as Gen Z protesters led mass demonstrations against the crippling water and electricity outages in the country. Rajoelina's sacking of the country's energy minister and later the entire government in late September did little to quell the unrest.
Groups of Madagascar soldiers joined the youth-led movement in the capital over the weekend and said that they would refuse orders to shoot.
FRANCE 24's Madagascar correspondent Gaëlle Borgia provided details of the president's escape.
Rajoelina "left in his helicopter from the presidential palace to the island of Sainte-Marie, in the east of the country, where a French military aircraft was waiting for him", Borgia said, citing information obtained from Madagascar Aviation, a Facebook group for aviation enthusiasts that tracks flight itineraries.
"The transfer lasted a few minutes at the very end of the runway. No one saw the president board the military aircraft, and thanks to the French army, he was able to reach the island of Réunion. There, another plane was waiting for him," Borgia said.
"A private jet from the German company Vistajet took the president to Dubai, where he arrived this Monday morning," she added.
After a stopover on France's Reunion Island, Rajoelina reportedly arrived in Dubai on Monday morning.
Madagascar has been engulfed in a political crisis since late last month as Gen Z protesters led mass demonstrations against the crippling water and electricity outages in the country. Rajoelina's sacking of the country's energy minister and later the entire government in late September did little to quell the unrest.
Groups of Madagascar soldiers joined the youth-led movement in the capital over the weekend and said that they would refuse orders to shoot.
FRANCE 24's Madagascar correspondent Gaëlle Borgia provided details of the president's escape.
Rajoelina "left in his helicopter from the presidential palace to the island of Sainte-Marie, in the east of the country, where a French military aircraft was waiting for him", Borgia said, citing information obtained from Madagascar Aviation, a Facebook group for aviation enthusiasts that tracks flight itineraries.
"The transfer lasted a few minutes at the very end of the runway. No one saw the president board the military aircraft, and thanks to the French army, he was able to reach the island of Réunion. There, another plane was waiting for him," Borgia said.
"A private jet from the German company Vistajet took the president to Dubai, where he arrived this Monday morning," she added.
France evacuates Madagascar president amid protests and army revolt
Madagascar’s president Andry Rajoelina has been evacuated from the country by a French military plane as protests and a military mutiny threaten to topple his government, RFI has confirmed.
Issued on: 13/10/2025 - RFI
Madagascar’s president Andry Rajoelina has been evacuated from the country by a French military plane as protests and a military mutiny threaten to topple his government, RFI has confirmed.
Issued on: 13/10/2025 - RFI
Protesters in Antananarivo, Madagascar, embrace a military vehicle, 13 October 2025.
© Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters
The evacuation followed an agreement with French president Emmanuel Macron. French authorities said they are not intervening in Madagascar’s internal crisis, which has rocked the country since 25 September.
The unrest began over widespread water and electricity cuts but has grown into a nationwide movement demanding Rajoelina’s resignation.
Security forces have used force to disperse demonstrations, while officers backing the protesters have taken control of the paramilitary gendarmerie.
Whereabouts unclear
Rajoelina was expected to address the nation on Monday evening, but his location was unclear before his evacuation was confirmed.
“The President will address the Malagasy people today at 7pm (4pm GMT),” the presidency announced on its official Facebook page.
He has not spoken publicly since the officers supporting the protests said they had taken control of the gendarmerie.
On Sunday the presidency warned of an attempted coup by members of Capsat, an elite unit that helped Rajoelina seize power during a 2009 coup.
Former prime minister Christian Ntsay and businessman Mamy Ravatomanga, a close ally of the president, flew to Mauritius on a private jet on Saturday night, according to local reports.
Rajoelina was also absent from a ceremony the same day to install General Nonos Mbina Mamelison as head of the gendarmerie.
The event was attended by Armed Forces Minister General Deramasinjaka Rakotoarivelo and General Demosthène Pikulas, whom Capsat has named as chief of the army.
Around a thousand people gathered on Sunday in Antananarivo’s symbolic Place du 13 Mai, in front of city hall, to celebrate the Capsat troops.
By midday, three armoured vehicles made their way through the cheering crowd, carrying soldiers who waved and smiled, weapons in hand, as demonstrators waved Malagasy flags.
(with newswires)
The evacuation followed an agreement with French president Emmanuel Macron. French authorities said they are not intervening in Madagascar’s internal crisis, which has rocked the country since 25 September.
The unrest began over widespread water and electricity cuts but has grown into a nationwide movement demanding Rajoelina’s resignation.
Security forces have used force to disperse demonstrations, while officers backing the protesters have taken control of the paramilitary gendarmerie.
Whereabouts unclear
Rajoelina was expected to address the nation on Monday evening, but his location was unclear before his evacuation was confirmed.
“The President will address the Malagasy people today at 7pm (4pm GMT),” the presidency announced on its official Facebook page.
He has not spoken publicly since the officers supporting the protests said they had taken control of the gendarmerie.
On Sunday the presidency warned of an attempted coup by members of Capsat, an elite unit that helped Rajoelina seize power during a 2009 coup.
Former prime minister Christian Ntsay and businessman Mamy Ravatomanga, a close ally of the president, flew to Mauritius on a private jet on Saturday night, according to local reports.
Rajoelina was also absent from a ceremony the same day to install General Nonos Mbina Mamelison as head of the gendarmerie.
The event was attended by Armed Forces Minister General Deramasinjaka Rakotoarivelo and General Demosthène Pikulas, whom Capsat has named as chief of the army.
Around a thousand people gathered on Sunday in Antananarivo’s symbolic Place du 13 Mai, in front of city hall, to celebrate the Capsat troops.
By midday, three armoured vehicles made their way through the cheering crowd, carrying soldiers who waved and smiled, weapons in hand, as demonstrators waved Malagasy flags.
(with newswires)
No comments:
Post a Comment