Antananarivo, Madagascar
Reuters
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Madagascar President Andri LaJolina said on Monday that the UN is disbanding the government after a youth-led protest against water and blackouts, which states that at least 22 people have been killed and more than 100 have been injured.
The three-day demonstration, inspired by the so-called “Gen Z” protests in Kenya and Nepal, is the biggest Indian Ocean Island has seen in years and is the most serious challenge Lajolina has faced since her re-election in 2023.
“If any government members are not performing the tasks assigned to them, we acknowledge and apologise,” LaJolina said in a speech for the state broadcaster Televiziona Malagasy (TVM).
The president said he wanted to create space for dialogue with young people and pledged steps to support businesses affected by looting.
“I understand the difficulties caused by anger, sadness and the problems with blackouts and water supply. I heard the phone, I felt pain and I had an impact on my daily life,” he said.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said the victims include protesters and bystanders who were killed by members of security forces, but also others who were killed in the widespread violence and individuals who were not involved in protesters and looting by gangs.
Madagascar’s Foreign Ministry rejected the UN’s reported figures of casualties, saying the data was “based on rumors and misinformation” rather than from competent national authorities.
Protesters gathered at the university on Monday, where they were about to wave placards and sing the national anthem before marching towards the city centre, footage from the 2424.MG News channel showed.
Police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd after authorities declared a dawn curfew last week.
Protesters adopted the flag used in Nepal, forcing the prime minister to resign this month, and the government repealed the proposed tax laws last year, using similar online organisation tactics as a protest in Kenya.
LaJolina first came to power in the 2009 coup. He resigned in 2014, but after winning the 2018 election, he became president again, securing a third term in a December 2023 poll.
