Madagascar President warns of tried coup after troopers be part of protests

Madagascar’s presidency stated on Sunday (October 12, 2025) that “an attempted illegal and forcible seizure of power” was underway within the African nation, with out offering particulars, a day after some troopers joined a protest motion that had begun final month.

Troops from the elite CAPSAT unit that helped President Andry Rajoelina seize energy in a 2009 coup urged fellow troopers to disobey orders and again the youth-led protests, which started on September 25 and pose essentially the most severe problem to Rajoelina’s rule since his reelection in 2023.

A Reuters witness noticed three individuals injured after photographs have been fired alongside a highway to the CAPSAT barracks on Sunday. Other witnesses stated there was no signal of ongoing clashes.

The protests, impressed by Gen Z-led actions in Kenya and Nepal, started over water and electrical energy shortages however have since escalated, with demonstrators calling for Rajoelina to step down, apologise for violence towards protesters, and dissolve the Senate and electoral fee.

At least 22 individuals have been killed and 100 injured within the unrest since September, based on the United Nations. The Malagasy authorities has disputed the figures, with Rajoelina saying this month that 12 individuals have been killed within the protests.

In a press release on the presidency’s official social media account, Mr. Rajoelina’s workplace stated he firmly condemned makes an attempt to destabilise the nation and urged all forces “to stand together in defense of constitutional order and national sovereignty.” It inspired dialogue to resolve the disaster.

Videos on social media on Saturday (October 11) confirmed CAPSAT troopers urging fellow troops to “support the people.”

A video broadcast by native media confirmed that dozens of troopers left the barracks in a while Saturday to escort hundreds of protesters into the May 13 Square in Antananarivo, the scene of many political uprisings, which had been closely guarded and off limits through the unrest.

Since then, the prime minister and armed forces’s chief of employees have urged residents to participate in dialogue and keep calm.