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Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina has announced the dissolution of his government after days of youth-led protests over chronic power and water shortages.
“We acknowledge and apologise if members of the government have not carried out the tasks assigned to them,” Rajoelina said in a televised address on Monday, confirming that both the prime minister and cabinet ministers had been dismissed. Interim ministers will remain in office until a new government is formed within days.
The so-called Gen-Z protests began in the capital, Antananarivo, last week but have since spread to eight cities under the rallying cry: “We want to live, not survive.” Thousands of young demonstrators have taken to the streets, demanding accountability from leaders.
The UN’s human rights chief Volker Türk condemned the “unnecessary force” used to quell the unrest, reporting at least 22 people killed and over 100 injured. He accused security forces of firing live ammunition, rubber bullets, and tear gas at protesters, while also carrying out arbitrary arrests and beatings. Madagascar’s foreign ministry dismissed the UN’s figures as “rumours or misinformation.”
In response to escalating violence and looting, authorities imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew in Antananarivo. Protesters insist rogue groups were paid to vandalize buildings to discredit their movement.
Rajoelina, who first came to power after mass protests in 2009 and won a third term in 2023, said he wanted to open dialogue with young people. “I understand the anger, the sadness, and the difficulties caused by power cuts and water supply problems,” he told the nation.
The unrest represents the most serious challenge to his presidency in over a decade, underscoring the deep frustration of a generation demanding more than survival.
