Summary

  • 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

Live Reporting

Edited by Farouk Chothia, Wedaeli Chibelushi and Natasha Booty in London, with Sammy Awami in Antananarivo

  1. Buoyant mood in Madagascar's capital

    Marching bands have joined soldiers and protesters on the streets of Antananarivo on Monday, as popular pressure mounts on the country's president to step down.

    A traditional band joins protesters during a nationwide youth-led protest over frequent power outages and water shortages, in Antananarivo, Madagascar, October 13, 2025. REUTERS/Siphiwe SibekoReuters

    This woman followed events from an upstairs window:

    A resident watches protesters march during a nationwide youth-led protest over frequent power outages and water shortages, in Antananarivo, Madagascar, October 13, 2025. REUTERS/Siphiwe SibekoReuters

    Variations on the skull-and-crossbones logo from popular Japanese anime series One Piece have become synonymous with Madagascar's "Gen Z Mada" protest movement:

    TOPSHOT - Residents gather as youngsters hang a large banner featuring a Malagasy version of the logo of the popular Japanese manga One Piece, a symbol adopted by Gen Z protest movements worldwide, in front of City Hall in Antananarivo, on October 12, 2025. A mutinied army unit declared on October 12, 2025 that it was taking control of all Madagascar military forces as President Andry Rajoelina said an "attempt to seize power illegally" was under way.The CAPSAT contingent of administrative and technical officers joined thousands of protesters in the city centre on October 11, 2025 in a major shift in a more than two-week anti-government protest movement. (Photo by Luis TATO / AFP) (Photo by LUIS TATO/AFP via Getty Images)Reuters

    Some parts of the military have joined these long-running protests. The same army unit - known as CAPSAT - that played a crucial role in regime change in 2009 now says it is command of all the armed forces.

    A member of a Malagasy Army unit riding on a patrol vehicle exchanges a fist bump with a civilian as residents gather for a civil society rally outside City Hall in Antananarivo, on October 13, 2025. Soldiers and security forces joined hundreds celebrating in Madagascar's capital on October 13, 2025, hours before President Andry Rajoelina was due to address the nation following weeks of protests and growing calls for his resignation. (Photo by Luis TATO / AFP) (Photo by LUIS TATO/AFP via Getty Images)AFP / Getty Images

    As protesters wait to see what happens next, attention is now firmly on the president - following reports that he has been airlifted from the country to an unknown location.

    Students sing the national anthem while holding Malagasy flags as they gather to march toward a civil society rally at Ankatso University in Antananarivo, on October 13, 2025. Soldiers and security forces joined hundreds celebrating in Madagascar's capital on October 13, 2025, hours before President Andry Rajoelina was due to address the nation following weeks of protests and growing calls for his resignation. (Photo by Luis TATO / AFP) (Photo by LUIS TATO/AFP via Getty Images)AFP / Getty Images

  2. Who is Andry Rajoelina - Madagascar's baby-faced president?

    Andry Rajoelina makes the "peace" hand gesture while holding another person's hand aloftAFP via Getty Images

    Andry Rajoelina, pictured here in 2013, had a speedy rise to power

    Andry Rajoelina is an entrepreneur and former DJ who has governed Madagascar since 2009.

    He gained power that year by ousting then-President Marc Ravalomanana in a coup backed by the army. At the age of 34, Rajoelina earned the title of Africa's youngest leader.

    As well as being a former DJ, Rajoelina also ran a number of businesses before he entered politics.

    In 2007 he was elected mayor of Antananarivo, Madagascar's capital.

    The baby-faced leader had gained popularity swiftly, thanks in part to his energy and slick campaigning style.

    Rajoelina was voted back into office in 2018 and re-elected in 2023 in contested polls boycotted by the opposition.

  3. Rajoelina may have headed to Dubai - report

    French broadcaster RFI is also reporting that on Sunday, a helicopter took the Malagasy president to Sainte-Marie Island, on Madagascar's east coast, and from there, he boarded a French military aircraft.

    President Rajoelina may have then headed for Dubai in the United Arab Emirates via Mauritius, RFI says.

    The broadcaster adds that, according to sources close to the matter, French President Emmanuel Macron authorised Rajoelina's evacuation.

    However, the government in Paris has stated that it will not intervene militarily in the situation in Madagascar.

  4. President Rajoelina flown out of the country by France - report
    Breaking

    Samuel Lando
    BBC Monitoring

    There has been much speculation about President Andry Rajoelina's location - now French broadcaster RFI has reported that the leader was flown out of the country on a French military plane on Sunday.

    RFI has not yet said where Rajoelina landed.

  5. President's whereabouts not known - minister

    Madagascar's President Andry Rajoelina, gestures as he appoints military general Ruphin Fortunat Zafisambo as Prime Minister at the Lavoloha Presidential Palace, following government dissolution amid protests over power and water shortages, in Antananarivo, Madagascar October 6, 202Reuters

    President Andry Rajoelina is facing the biggest threat to his power since his re-election in 2023

    The whereabouts of Madagascar's President Andry Rajoelina are unknown, Public Security Minister Mandimbin'ny Aina Randriambelo has told Reuters news agency.

    Rajoelina has not been seen in public since last week, but he is due to address the nation later on Monday.

    He faced a major blow in his attempt to hang to power when a powerful military unit threw its weight behind protesters demanding his resignation.

  6. Army general says security forces working to maintain order

    Sammy Awami
    Reporting from Antananarivo

    Madagascar's new Chief of Army Staff, Gen Demosthene Pikulas, has assured the public that the security forces are working together to maintain order in the island nation.

    Gen Pikulas, speaking alongside the new Commander of the Gendarmerie Forces, Gen Nonos Mbina Mamelison, declined to answer BBC questions about who is currently in charge of the government and whether the president is still in the country.

    Gen Mamelison briefly responded, saying that taking power is not the army’s intention.

    “It’s not for the moment. We work together, the army and the gendarmerie. It’s not the intention of the army to take over the government,” General Mamelison said.

    Gen Pikulas said: “Our role right now is to restore order so people can continue working.”

    Gen Pikulas was installed in his post on Sunday, with the backing of the armed forces minister, AFP news agency reported.

    A powerful military unit, which has sided with protesters, had earlier announced his appointment.

  7. Protesters converge on main square in capital

    Protesters gather gather outside the town hall on Independence Avenue during a nationwide youth-led protest over frequent power outages and water shortages, in Antananarivo, Madagascar, October 13, 2025Reuters

    The square outside the town hall in the capital is the focal point of protests

    Protesters are converging on the main square in Madagascar's capital, Antananarivo, hours before an address by the embattled President Andry Rajoelina.

    Soldiers have joined the protesters - some of whom were hanging off military vehicles as they arrived, AFP news agency reports.

    Protesters have dubbed the square the Square of Democracy, as they demand President Rajoelina's resignation.

    They achieved a major victory on Saturday when they managed to breach security and enter the square for the first time.

    They were helped by the fact that some soldiers left their barracks, and vowed to protect them.

  8. A quick guide to the crisis in Madagascar

    A protester runs past a burning tyreAFP via Getty Images

    The protesters organised over social media sites such as Facebook and TikTok

    What sparked the protests?

    A youth-led online movement, known as Gen Z Mada, organised the protests in a stand against the daily water and power cuts disrupting life across Madagascar.

    The demonstrations escalated as protesters vented their fury over high unemployment, corruption and the cost-of-living crisis.

    What was the government's response?

    Security forces maintained a heavy presence in Madagascar’s major cities, with police using tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters.

    The UN said at least 22 people were killed in the clashes, but the government put the death toll at 12.

    Throughout the demonstrations, President Andry Rajoelina made numerous attempts to placate the protesters, such as sacking his government and calling for dialogue with young people.

    What is life like in Madagascar?

    Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world, with 75% of people living below the poverty line, according to the World Bank.

    Only about one-third of Madagascar's 30 million people have access to electricity, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) says.

    When did the military get involved?

    On Saturday, protesters received unexpected support from a powerful army unit known as CAPSAT, when some of its troops left their barracks to join the demonstration.

    The following day CAPSAT claimed it had seized leadership of the military command, and was now in control of all the armed forces.

  9. Madagascar's troubled president to address nation

    Andry Rajoelina talks into a microphoneGetty Images

    After facing a series of major protests and losing the support of a key army unit, Madagascar's President Andry Rajoelina is set to address the nation.

    The embattled leader will make a statement at 19:00 local time (16:00 GMT). Rajoelina has not disclosed what he will talk about, but on Sunday he warned that a coup attempt was underway. His whereabouts are unknown.

    Shortly after this warning, an army unit known as CAPSAT claimed it was in control of all Madagascar's armed forces - land, air, and naval.

    For more than two weeks, protesters, mostly young, have been demonstrating against chronic water and power cuts, as well as wider issues like corruption and the cost-of-living crisis.