7 months ago
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Madagascar's caller person insisted connected Thursday (October 16, 2025) that a subject powerfulness drawback aft the service joined weeks of demonstrations was "not a coup", arsenic ousted President Andry Rajoelina confirmed helium had fled the state days earlier.
Colonel Michael Randrianirina from the mutinied CAPSAT subject contingent has faced planetary disapproval aft the service announced Tuesday it had taken powerfulness moments aft parliament voted to impeach Mr. Rajoelina.
Mr. Randrianirina is acceptable to beryllium sworn successful connected Friday arsenic transitional President and has promised elections wrong 2 years and a civilian government.
"A coup is erstwhile soldiers participate the statesmanlike palace with weapons, they shoot, determination is bloodshed... This is not a coup," Mr. Randrianirina told journalists.
The support of the country's apical tribunal connected Tuesday of his assignment showed the takeover "follows the ineligible process", helium said.
"Madagascar has not chosen a subject regime," helium said. "The authorities belongs to civilians. The statesmanlike assembly is besides composed of subject and civilians."
Mr. Rajoelina, meanwhile, confirmed for the archetypal clip that helium had fled Madagascar betwixt October 11 and 12, the aforesaid play CAPSAT soldiers announced they would basal with the youth-led protestation question and joined them successful the streets.
He near aft "explicit and highly superior threats were made against the beingness of the Head of State", according to a connection precocious Wednesday sent to AFP that did not uncover his whereabouts.
Media reports said the 51-year-old was evacuated connected Sunday aboard a French subject level that took him to the French land of Reunion from wherever helium travelled to Dubai wherever helium has a home.
In a televised nationalist code connected Monday, Mr. Rajoelina said helium had taken refuge successful a "safe place" successful fearfulness of his beingness but gave nary details.
On Tuesday, helium issued a decree to dissolve the National Assembly arsenic it prepared to ballot to impeach him for desertion of duty, but parliamentarians went up with the ballot anyway.
Mr. Rajoelina, who archetypal came to powerfulness aft a military-backed coup successful 2009, accused the National Assembly of colluding with the service to region him from office.
His bureau said connected Wednesday the law court's determination to name the CAPSAT commandant to instrumentality implicit was riddled with procedural illegalities and risked destabilising the erstwhile French colony, which has a turbulent governmental past.
'Behind-the-scenes negotiations'
Madagascar is the latest of respective erstwhile French colonies to person fallen nether subject power since 2020, aft coups successful Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Gabon and Guinea.
The upheaval started with youth-led demonstrations connected September 25 implicit deficiency of h2o and vigor that were violently repressed. The United Nations said 22 radical were killed successful the archetypal days, but this was disputed by Rajoelina's government.
On October 11, CAPSAT declared it would "refuse orders to shoot" astatine protesters, joined aboriginal by the gendarmerie.
While the Gen Z question that initiated the protests has welcomed the military's intervention, the swift takeover has drawn planetary alarm.
The United Nations expressed interest astatine an "unconstitutional" takeover and the African Union announced Wednesday it had suspended Madagascar immediately.
Mr. Randrianirina said Thursday that the African Union's absorption was "normal" but determination would beryllium "behind-the-scenes negotiations", arsenic good arsenic discussions with the SADC determination bloc, which has sent successful a fact-finding mission.
He has pledged elections successful 18 to 24 months and told section media that consultations were nether mode to name a premier minister.
Mr. Randrianirina had agelong been a vocal professional of Rajoelina's medication and was reportedly imprisoned for respective months successful 2023 for plotting a coup.
"We are present going to enactment hard and precise rapidly truthful arsenic not to disappoint the people," helium said Thursday. "We are going to alteration galore things and conscionable their expectations."
