Madagascar Gen Z Mada protests: President names army general as PM to diffuse unrest

A protester reacts as he hold stones during clashes with Malagasy security forces, at a demonstration calling for the resignation of President Andry Rajoelina, in Madagascar's Antananarivo, on October 6. (Image: AFP)

Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina has turned to the military in an effort to ease mounting unrest, naming Divisional General Ruphin Fortunat Dimbisoa Zafisambo as the country’s new prime minister late Monday, according to AFP. The appointment follows weeks of protests that have rocked the capital and other cities, driven by public frustration over worsening living conditions.

“With wisdom, I have decided to appoint Ruphin Fortunat Dimbisoa Zafisambo, Divisional General, as Prime Minister of the government,” Rajoelina said from the presidential palace, as quoted by AFP. He urged the new premier to “serve the people” and be “someone clean, with integrity, and who works quickly.” Despite these assurances, his recent decision to dismiss the previous government failed to calm demonstrators demanding his resignation.

The unrest began on September 25, initially over constant power and water outages but quickly transformed into a broader anti-government movement. On Monday, hundreds of people again took to the streets of Antananarivo, the twelfth consecutive day of demonstrations. Security forces fired tear gas and stun grenades to break up the crowd, injuring at least one protester, AFP reported.

“There are about 120 hours of power cuts per week where I live,” told 21-year-old Tommy Fanomezantsoa to AFP, one of many young protesters. “We are protesting for everyone’s sake. The president is not listening to the anger of the people at the bottom. He always does what he wants.”

The protests, largely mobilized on social media by a youth group calling itself Gen Z Mada, have drawn university students and unemployed residents alike. On Monday, demonstrators tried to march from the University of Ankatso towards the city centre but were stopped by barricades. Clashes erupted through the afternoon, with a heavy security presence across the capital.

“The future of this country depends on me, on you, on all of us,” one protest leader told the crowd according to AFP, urging them to stay united. Another speaker declared, “We can clearly see that democracy in Madagascar is not respected at all. They are even destroying it with brutality," the report said.

According to the United Nations, at least 22 people have been killed and more than 100 wounded since the protests began—a toll the authorities deny. The UN criticized what it described as excessive force by police, including the use of live ammunition. AFP reported chaotic scenes in Antananarivo’s Amparibe neighbourhood, where a pregnant woman collapsed as tear gas filled the streets and children fled in panic.

Meanwhile, demonstrations have spread beyond the capital. In Toliara, in the south, local media reported protesters burning tires as tensions rose.

Even before the general’s appointment, many citizens expressed skepticism about Rajoelina’s promises of reform. “We don’t want him to listen to people in his office, we want him to get out on the ground,” said Fanomezantsoa to AFP, who lost his job when his supermarket was looted on the first night of unrest. “We will continue until we get results.”

The Christian Council of Churches of Madagascar (FFKM) has offered to mediate between the government and protesters in hopes of preventing further violence.

Madagascar, despite its rich natural resources, remains one of the poorest nations on earth. The World Bank estimates that nearly three-quarters of its 32 million people lived below the poverty line in 2022. Transparency International ranks the country 140th out of 180 for public sector corruption.

The Ankatso district, where many recent demonstrations have started, holds symbolic weight—it was the epicenter of the 1972 uprising that led to the fall of the country’s first president, Philibert Tsiranana. Now, as then, anger over inequality and government neglect appears to be driving a new generation into the streets.

With inputs from AFP