ANTANANARIVO: Anti-government protesters in Madagascar held fresh demonstrations and called for a general strike on Wednesday as they intensified efforts to force President Andry Rajoelina from office.
Police fired tear gas at protesters in central Antananarivo where approximately 10,000 people had clashed with officers the previous day.
Several thousand demonstrators marched in the northern city of Antsiranana demanding the president’s resignation according to local sources.
Rajoelina hosted foreign diplomats at the presidential palace on Wednesday evening in an apparent effort to address the escalating political crisis.
The presidential spokesperson claimed protesters had dispersed without clear leadership emerging for structured dialogue.
Near-daily protests over government mismanagement and utility shortages began in Antananarivo last Thursday and have spread across the Indian Ocean nation.
Rajoelina’s dismissal of his government on Monday failed to quell public anger which has been intensified by a heavy-handed police response.
United Nations officials report at least 22 fatalities and more than one hundred injuries during the unrest.
The Madagascar government has rejected these casualty figures as unverified and based on misinformation.
A spokesperson for the leading Gen Z protest movement stated that the government dismissal alone was insufficient to address their demands.
The movement’s additional requirements include the president’s resignation and comprehensive reforms to the National Assembly.
An anonymous demonstrator highlighted the deteriorating living conditions affecting Madagascar’s population under the current administration.
Rajoelina first assumed power in 2009 following a coup that ousted former president Marc Ravalomanana.
After skipping the 2013 election under international pressure, Rajoelina returned to office through the 2018 vote and secured re-election in 2023 amid opposition boycotts.
Madagascar’s political opposition broke their initial silence by endorsing the protest movement through a rare joint statement on Wednesday.
More than two hundred local non-governmental organisations issued a joint appeal demanding an immediate end to all forms of repression.
The organisations also called for full respect of the right to peaceful protest across the country.
The Gen Z movement utilised social media to demand the dissolution of several key government institutions including the Senate and Constitutional Court.
Protest leaders additionally called for the prosecution of businessman Mamy Ravatomanga, widely considered Rajoelina’s primary financial supporter.
The movement announced that public sector trade unions were being called to join a general strike without specifying an exact start date.
National utility company JIRAMA and the main labour inspectors’ union had already declared their participation in strike action.
Social media platforms circulated images of an injured young boy who received treatment at Antananarivo’s main hospital during the protests.
Hospital authorities confirmed the government had provided free medical care for the child injured during demonstration-related violence.
Political scientist Ketakandriana Rafitoson warned that relying on force to suppress dissent risked prolonging and intensifying the crisis.
The Transparency International activist cautioned that political fragmentation and economic fallout could result from the current approach.
Pope Leon XIV expressed sadness regarding the situation in Madagascar while calling for justice and the common good.
Five prominent civil society organisations proposed Catholic Church-mediated talks to prevent the nation from descending into chaos.
Madagascar remains one of the world’s poorest nations despite its status as the leading global vanilla producer.
The country possesses significant natural resources across agricultural, forestry, fishing, and mineral sectors. – AFP