The African Union (AU) has suspended Madagascar
following the country’s sudden power shift that saw Colonel Michael
Randrianirina take control after President Andry Rajoelina was
impeached.
“The country is suspended with immediate effect,” AU
Commission chair Mahamoud Ali Youssouf told AFP, shortly after
Madagascar’s top court confirmed Randrianirina as president, plunging the
island nation into crisis.
The takeover followed weeks of mass protests that
culminated in parliament voting to remove Rajoelina on Tuesday. Within
hours, members of the CAPSAT elite military unit seized power, declaring
a transition government.
Randrianirina, who will be sworn in on Friday,
announced that the military intends to organise elections within 18 to 24
months and restructure key state institutions.
“It wasn’t a coup; it was a matter of taking
responsibility because the country was on the brink of collapse,” Randrianirina
said in a televised address.
The 51-year-old former president—who first came to
power in a 2009 military-backed coup—has reportedly fled the country as
demonstrations intensified in the capital, Antananarivo.
Global Condemnation
The United Nations and other international
bodies have condemned the development as an “unconstitutional change of
power.”
The UN said it was “deeply concerned” about the
situation, while the AU’s decision to suspend Madagascar places it alongside
other African states that have experienced coups since 2020, including Mali,
Burkina Faso, Niger, Gabon, and Guinea.
Despite the upheaval, the capital remained largely
calm on Wednesday. Thousands gathered at Place du 13 Mai, the site of
earlier clashes, where youth-led protesters from the Gen Z movement
celebrated what they called “a first victory.”
“We’re worried about what comes next, but we’re
savouring this first victory that gave us hope,” said Fenitra
Razafindramanga, captain of the national rugby team.
In northern Antsiranana, residents expressed
relief over Rajoelina’s ouster. “It feels like we’ve just been released from
prison,” said one entrepreneur.
Rajoelina’s office, however, dismissed the court’s
ruling as “illegal and unconstitutional,” warning it could further destabilise
the nation.
The former president last appeared in a televised
address from an undisclosed location, claiming he was in a “safe place to
protect my life.”
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