Coup / Teen generation overthrows another government, military takes control in Madagascar

2025-10-14 15:54:20Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Protests in Madagascar

A Malagasy army colonel who led a mutiny of soldiers who joined anti-government Generation Z teenage protesters said Tuesday that the military had taken control of the African island nation after President Andry Rajoelina fled the country.

"We have taken power," Colonel Michael Randrianirina said on national radio, adding that the army was dissolving all institutions except the lower house of parliament, which voted to dismiss Rajoelina just minutes before his announcement.

What began as an uprising against chronic power and water shortages on the southern African island last month quickly turned into a demand for the president to resign. It gained momentum over the weekend when the elite military unit that brought Rajoelina to power in 2009 supported the protest.

The anger mirrored similar demonstrations in countries as diverse as Morocco, Peru and Nepal, where young people have marched to criticize inequality, unemployment, living costs, declining public services and corruption.

At Monday's protest in Madagascar, which drew at least 15,000 people, protesters raised a banner depicting a skull with a straw hat from the Japanese manga series "One Piece," a common symbol in Generation Z demonstrations globally.


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