Madagascar’s president has left the country after Gen Z protests, officials say

ANTANANARIVO, (Reuters) – Madagascar’s president Andry Rajoelina has fled the African nation, the head of the opposition, a military source and a foreign diplomat said on Monday, the second time that young protesters have toppled a government in just over a month of worldwide Gen Z unrest. Siteny Randrianasoloniaiko, leader of the opposition in parliament, told Reuters that Rajoelina left Madagascar on Sunday after units of the army defected and joined the protesters. “We called the staff of the presidency and they confirmed that he left the country,” he said, adding that Rajoelina’s whereabouts were unknown. The president’s office did not reply to requests for comment. In an address to the nation broadcast on Facebook late on Monday, Rajoelina said he had to move to a safe location to protect his own life. He did not disclose his whereabouts but appeared defiant, saying that he would not “allow Madagascar to be destroyed”. The diplomatic source said after the speech that Rajoelina was refusing to step down. A military source told Reuters that Rajoelina flew out of Madagascar, a former French colony, on a French military aircraft on Sunday. French radio RFI said he had struck a deal with President Emmanuel Macron. Macron, speaking in Egypt after a summit on the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal, said he could not immediately confirm reports that France had helped Rajoelina to flee the country. He added that constitutional order must be preserved in Madagascar and that while France understood the grievances of the country’s youth, those grievances should not be exploited by military factions. The military source said a French Army Casa aircraft landed in Madagascar’s Sainte Marie airport on Sunday. “Five minutes later, a helicopter arrived and transferred its passenger into the Casa,” the source said, adding that the passenger was Rajoelina. Demonstrations had erupted in the country on September 25 over water and power shortages but quickly escalated into an uprising over broader grievances, including corruption, bad governance and a lack of basic services. The anger mirrored recent protests against ruling elites elsewhere, including in Nepal, where the prime minister was forced to resign last month, and in Morocco.