JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — The army in Madagascar seized power on Tuesday, days after the president went into hiding saying he feared for his life after several weeks of massive anti-government protests.
Colonel Michael Randrianirina, from elite military unit CAPSAT, announced the army was in control of the African island nation and would establish a committee composed of army and police brass. He said they would then set up a civilian government "quickly."'
His statement came just minutes after members of parliament had voted to impeach President Andry Rajoelina for abandoning his post after he was believed to have fled the country over the weekend. On Monday Rajoelina broadcast an address on social media saying he was in hiding in an undisclosed location.
The impeachment vote — which garnered 130 "yes" votes and one blank ballot — went ahead even though Rajoelina took steps the same day to prevent it by dissolving the lower house of parliament.
After the army's announcement they'd taken control a statement posted to the official Facebook page of the Madagascan presidency denounced what it called "a coup d'etat" and insisted Rajoelina remained in charge.
"Gen Z" protests
Madagascar's youth took to the streets of the capital Antananarivo in so-called "Gen Z" protests last month demanding Rajoelina resign, amid anger over the water and electricity shortages crippling the country. NPR spoke to protesters who said they hadn't had water out the taps for six years, despite still paying for it.
Over the weekend, the CAPSAT military unit announced they had sided with the protesters and would not move to quash any demonstrators, calling them "our brothers, our sisters."
Rajoelina then fled, reportedly in a French plane though that is unconfirmed, while some of his officials are believed to have escaped to Mauritius.
The former French colony in the Indian Ocean off the coast of east Africa is no stranger to rebellions. Rajoelina himself first came to power in a 2009 coup — with the help of the same military unit that has just unseated him — but later ran for election twice and won.
Madagascans have since soured on the 51-year-old leader however, blaming his government for poor service delivery and corruption in the impoverished country of some 31 million people.
The baby-faced president tried to appease the demonstrators by sacking his government, but they continued to demand he resign himself. The United Nations says more than 20 people were killed during the protests and that authorities had used deadly force.
The army appears at pains to ensure that the takeover not be seen as a coup, and some of the Madagascans who've been protesting said they welcomed the military intervention that has got rid of Rajoelina.
"The army is the only neutral institution that can get us back on track," Sariaka, one of the protesters, told NPR. Asked if she'd call it a coup d'etat, she said: "to me it's a popular revolution supported by a military unit."
Fanilo, a 21-year-old medical student, felt the same."We are all deeply relieved and even thrilled by his removal from office," he said. "We are not oppressed any more."
Asked if he wasn't concerned about the military seizing power Fanilo said: "not really because the current military leadership is in very good hands … especially as they plan to hand back power to a civilian government afterwards."
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