Madagascar's cornered president defies calls to resign

Madagascar’s embattled President Andry Rajoelina has said he was sheltering in a "safe place" following an attempt on his life, defying calls to resign amid spiralling unrest that has forced him into hiding.

In his first public address since a mutinous army unit backed anti-government protests, Rajoelina said on Monday: "Since September 25, there have been attempts on my life and coup attempts. A group of military personnel and politicians planned to assassinate me."

"I was forced to find a safe place to protect my life," he said in a live Facebook broadcast, without revealing his location.

The 51-year-old leader’s speech came amid reports he had fled the country, which he denied.

Radio France Internationale said Rajoelina left on a French military plane, but French officials declined to confirm it.

The protests, led mostly by young demonstrators, began over chronic power and water cuts but grew into a movement calling for Rajoelina’s resignation.

Rajoelina, a former mayor of Antananarivo who first seized power in a 2009 coup, called for the constitution to be respected.

"I am on a mission to find solutions," he said.

Escalating protests

Earlier in the day, mutinous soldiers joined jubilant crowds outside Antananarivo city hall, expecting him to step down. Soldiers from the army’s CAPSAT unit were seen among the protesters.

The unit had declared it would "refuse orders to shoot" at demonstrations, while gendarmerie officers accused of using heavy-handed tactics admitted to "faults and excesses" in a video statement.

The United Nations said at least 22 people were killed in the first days of protests, though Rajoelina disputed the toll, saying only 12 had died and that "all of these individuals were looters and vandals."

Under growing pressure, Rajoelina pardoned eight prisoners on Monday, including dual French-Malagasy national Paul Maillot Rafanoharana, jailed in 2021 for an attempted coup.

Madagascar’s political crisis has deepened despite the president dismissing his government last month.

The Senate also voted to remove its president, Richard Ravalomanana, a retired gendarmerie general.

The African Union’s security council urged Madagascar’s armed forces "to uphold their constitutional mandate and refrain from meddling in political affairs."

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Source: TRT