An elite military unit in Madagascar says it has seized power, ousting the country's embattled President Andry Rajoelina
CAPSAT has suspended key democratic institutions but has promised elections within two years
Madagascar's constitutional court named the unit's commander Col Michael Randrianirina as the country's new leader, but the president's office insists Rajoelina is still in charge
Lawmakers earlier voted to impeach Rajoelina, which he rejected as "null and void"
His whereabouts are unclear - there are reports he has fled the country on a French military plane. He said he was sheltering in a "safe place" after an attempt on his life
Madagascar has been rocked by weeks of protests - here's why young people have been demonstrating against Rajoelina's rule
'We have seized power,' says head of military unit
Samuel Lando
BBC Monitoring
We have just had official word that Rajoelina's speech has been postponed, again. The president's office said the address will now take place at 21:30 local time (18:30 GMT) "due to ongoing negotiations".
Earlier, the presidency said soldiers had threatened to seize the headquarters of state TV, and the army's chief of staff was trying to resolve the crisis.
Samuel Lando
BBC Monitoring
Madagascar's embattled President Andry Rajoelina was supposed to address the nation at 20:30 local time (17:30 GMT), after already postponing his speech once.
However, a broadcast of his speech has not yet appeared on the state TV channel or his social media platforms.
State TV is currently airing a soap.
CAPSAT, a powerful army unit, has defied the president's authority over the past few days, contributing to his increased isolation.
But 16 years ago, the unit actually helped Rajoelina seize power. With CAPSAT's might, Rajoelina was able to overthrow then-President Marc Ravalomanana in a coup.
"Sixteen-and-a-half years later, the Malagasy people are being served the same dish," local news outlet Midi-Madagasikara wrote on Monday.
Image source, ReutersAndry Rajoelina, 51, has been fighting for his political survival
Madagascar's presidency has not given details of the soldiers whom it says have threatened to seize the headquarters of state TV.
Its statement merely said that the army's new chief of staff, Gen Demosthene Pikulas, is at the site, trying to resolve the crisis.
Nor did the presidency answer the question everyone has been asking all day: Where is the president?
There have been numerous reports that Rajoelina has left the country, but there is still no official confirmation - or denial - of this.
Huge crowds have converged on the main square in Madagascar's capital, Antananarivo, to keep up the pressure on President Andry Rajoelina.
Prayers were also held for Safidy Rakooarisoa, whose family says he died during the demonstrations that started on 25 September.
Reuters news agency says family members brought his body to Independence Avenue for prayers:
Image source, ReutersPeople raised their hands in solidarity with the family:
Image source, ReutersA relative of Rakooarisoa was comforted as she wept:
Image source, ReutersIt is unclear how Rakooarisoa died. UN human rights chief Volker Türk previously accused the security forces of using "unnecessary and disproportionate force" to quell the unrest.
He said at least 22 people were killed and 100 others injured.
Rajoelina disputed the figure last week, saying there were 12 confirmed deaths and "all of these individuals were looters and vandals".
Soldiers and security forces in Madagascar's capital joined protesters celebrating Rajoelina's weakened grip on power, AFP reported.
According to the news agency, soldiers from army unit CAPSAT were seen among the crowds on Monday, and so were officers from the gendarmerie, who were previously accused of using heavy-handed tactics to end the protests.
Sammy Awami
Reporting from Antananarivo
Image source, AFP via Getty ImagesCAPSAT soldiers unexpectedly left their barracks on Saturday to join the protests
Madagascar is now effectively being run by the powerful military unit known as CAPSAT, a senior leader in Madagascar’s largest opposition party has told me.
The politician pointed to the recent selection of a new army chief of staff, saying that CAPSAT made the appointment and "didn’t consult the appointed ministers".
"It shows they don’t respect them," said the opposition politician, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Samuel Lando
BBC Monitoring
Rajoelina's speech has been postponed to 20:30 local time (17:30 GMT) because a group of armed soldiers is threatening to take over the state media headquarters, the president's office has said.
The army's new chief of staff, Gen Demosthene Pikulas, is attempting to resolve the situation, the statement added.
Rajoelina is scheduled to address the nation in around 10 minutes.
We do not know what the statement will be about, but yesterday the president warned that a coup was under way and, according to reports, he has left the country.
Stay with us - we will bring you the details from Rajoelina speech.
Samuel Lando
BBC Monitoring
Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina released eight political prisoners on Sunday, including at least one Franco-Malagasy dual national jailed in connection with an alleged coup plot in 2021, privately-owned 24h Mada has posted on Facebook, external.
This may have been one of Rajoelina's last decisions as president, before he reportedly fled Madagascar in a French helicopter with the approval of President Emmanuel Macron.
According to the reported decree, the other prisoners whose sentences were commuted by Rajoelina include two journalists, an opposition MP and a businessman and former aide to ex-President Hery Rajaonarimamoinanina.
Christian Ntsay, Rajoelina's former prime minister, and Maminiaina Ravatomanga, a businessman close to Rajoelina, flew to Mauritius "urgently" early on Sunday, the Mauritian government has said.
In a statement, it denied interfering in Madagascar's affairs, adding it was "not satisfied" with how the plane was authorised to land in the country.
President Rajoelina had sacked Ntsay in a failed attempt to placate demonstrators angry about chronic water and power cuts, corruption, and the high cost of living.
Meanwhile, protesters had called for Ravatomanga to be investigated - they view him as a symbol of the political and economic elite that has prospered at the expense of ordinary citizens.
Analysis
Sammy Awami
Reporting from Antananarivo
Image source, EPA / ShutterstockSome soldiers have joined protesters demanding the president's resignation
Madagascar’s Defence Minister Manantsoa Deramasinjaka Rakotoarivelo may be the most powerful figure in the country at the moment.
After dissolving his government, President Andry Rajoelina appointed an army general as his new prime minister and later filled in only three cabinet posts - Defence, Gendarmerie, and Public Security, placing the military at the centre of political control.
Today, as commanders of different branches of the armed forces convened to defuse internal tensions and discuss ways to strengthen cooperation, the defence minister was in attendance. The new prime minister was not seen.
These talks position the defence minister as a central power-broker, with reports surfacing that the military is holding closed-door meetings with key political leaders, including from the opposition, as well as civil society and religious leaders, in a bid to shape the country's future.
Image source, Sammy Awami / BBCRazanasoa Edmondine looks at photos of the newborn on her phone
At least 22 people have been killed since the protests began more than two weeks ago, according to UN figures.
Among them was Razanasoa Edmondine's new-born grandson.
The one-month-old baby had been to the market with his mother when police turned up and fired tear gas at protesters. They fled into a nearby building which police then fired more tear gas canisters into - quickly filling it with choking smoke.
"The baby was trying to cry but no sound came out," his grandmother tells the BBC.
"It was like something was blocking his chest. The doctor told us he had inhaled too much smoke. A couple of days later, he passed away."
Image source, ReutersThe protests began more than two weeks ago
Sammy Awami
Reporting from Antananarivo
Image source, ReutersPresident Andry Rajoelina has not been seen in public since last Wednesday
A source in the biggest opposition party in Madagascar has told me they are planning to impeach President Andry Rajoelina for "abandonment of post".
The source from the TIM party said they believe he has been flown out of the country in a French aircraft - something that French public broadcaster RFI first reported.
TIM is led by ex-President Marc Ravalomana, who was ousted in a popular uprising in 2009, leading to Rajoelina taking power.
Image source, AFP via Getty ImagesThe protests have disrupted daily life in Madagascar's cities
Here's a timeline of the events that have led to Rajoelina's reported evacuation.
19 September - Two leading politicians are arrested after planning a protest against Madagascar's chronic power and water outages.
25 September - A youth-led online movement, known as Gen Z Mada, takes up the politicians’ cause and kickstarts protests in cities across Madagascar.
29 September - President Andry Rajoelina sacks his prime minister and entire government in an attempt to placate the protesters.
6 October - Rajoelina appoints army general Ruphin Fortunat Zafisambo as prime minister, a move the protesters reject.
8 October - Gen Z Mada turns down an invite for talks with the president. Rajoelina says he will resign if the country’s power cuts are not sorted within a year.
11 October - Troops from an army unit known as CAPSAT unexpectedly leave their barracks to join protesters. One soldier dies in shoot-outs between CAPSAT and another wing of the military.
12 October - Rajoelina warns that a coup is under way. Hours later, CAPSAT claims it has seized control of the entire armed forces.
13 October - A senior army general says the security forces are working together to maintain order. French outlet RFI reports that Rajoelina has been evacuated and may have headed for Dubai.
An opposition leader has told the Reuters news agency that President Andry Rajoelina has left Madagascar, but that his final destination is not known.
"The president left the country, we called the staff of the presidency and they confirmed that he left the country" on Sunday, Siteny Randrianasoloniaiko is quoted as saying.
It follows reports by the French-language broadcaster RFI that Rajoelina had been airlifted from Madagascar on Sunday in a French military plane.
Sammy Awami
Reporting from Antananarivo
Image source, AFP via Getty ImagesGen Demosthene Pikulas is new chief of staff of the army
Madagascar’s military leadership underwent a major shake-up over the weekend, signalling a shift in power away from President Rajoelina.
After a high-level meeting involving senior figures from the Defence Ministry and top military commanders, Gen Demosthene Pikulas was appointed as the new Chief of Staff.
The leadership change came just hours after a deadly confrontation between soldiers from a powerful military unit, CAPSAT, and members of the paramilitary police force, the gendarmes - a clash that highlighted simmering tensions within the armed forces.
Gen Pikulas attended a ceremony on Sunday in honour of a CAPSAT soldier who was allegedly shot dead by the gendarmes, AFP news agency reported.
Alongside Gen Pikulas’s appointment, Gen Nonos Mbina Mamelison was named the new Commander of the Gendarme Forces, marking another significant change at the top of the military hierarchy.
The coming days will be critical in determining whether the shake-up brings about unity or deepens divisions within Madagascar’s armed forces.
The reshuffle has also raised questions about whether President Rajoelina is still in control, especially as he has not been seen in public since last Wednesday.
There are unconfirmed reports that the president may have left the country aboard a French military aircraft.
Sammy Awami
Reporting from Antananarivo
Madagascar's defence minister has held emergency talks with the top of the military and other security forces as the crisis in the island nation unfolds.
Manantsoa Deramasinjaka Rakotoarivelo was due to address a press conference after the meeting, but did not.
The commanders from all branches of the armed forces were at the high-level meeting in what appeared to be an attempt to iron out misunderstandings within their ranks.
On Saturday, there was a shoot-out between units of the gendarmerie and soldiers from CAPSAT - an influential military unit that has thrown its weight behind protesters.
CAPSAT said one of its soldiers was shot dead.
The new Chief of Army Staff, Gen Demosthene Pikulas, and the new Commander of the Gendarmerie Forces, Gen Nonos Mbina Mamelison, spoke to the media briefly.
“Our role [army and gendarmerie] right now is to restore order so people can continue working” said General Pikulas.
Analysis
Sammy Awami
Reporting from Antananarivo
Life appears back to normal in Antananarivo - almost all shops are open and business is continuing.
Yet there is still no clarity on who is actually running the country.
On Sunday the president’s office insisted that the president was in charge - but his prolonged absence from the public eye, combined with the appointment and swearing-in of the new army chief without his involvement, has raised many questions about whether he is truly in control.
Key opposition politicians held meetings with the military leadership. It is not clear what they discussed.
On Monday, the leadership of the Gen Z Mada movement is reportedly visiting various cabinet ministries to discuss some of their demands and the way forward from the current situation.
They won another victory on Sunday with the ousting of Senate President Richard Ravalomanana - the close ally of President Andry Rajoelina was regarded as a symbol of the entrenched political elite.
At least two figures close to President Andry Rajoelina have fled to Mauritius - ex-Prime Minister Christian Ntsay and businessman Maminiaina Ravatomanga arrived on Sunday on a chartered flight.