Madagascar president refuses to step down as antigov’t protests continue | Protests News

Protesters difficulty president 24-hour ultimatum to ‘reply favourably’ to calls for, threatening ‘all obligatory measures’.

Madagascan President Andry Rajoelina has ignored requires his resignation by a nationwide youth-led protest motion, condemning what he perceives to be a coup plot pushed by rivals.

Protesters took to the streets of the capital, Antananarivo, on Friday after a “strategic” pause within the near-daily demonstrations led by a motion generally known as “Gen Z”, which has demanded the president’s resignation over his alleged failure to ship primary providers, together with water and electrical energy.

No less than 22 individuals have been killed because the protests began on September 25, in accordance with the United Nations. On Friday, police fired tear fuel to disperse marchers within the capital, footage from Actual TV Madagasikara confirmed.

“Nobody advantages from the destruction of the nation. I’m right here, I stand right here able to pay attention, prepared to increase a serving to hand and … to deliver options to Madagascar,” Rajoelina mentioned in a speech broadcast on his Fb web page.

He mentioned, with out offering proof, that some politicians had been plotting to make the most of the protests and had thought of staging a coup whereas he was addressing the United Nations in New York final week.

“What I wish to inform you is that some individuals wish to destroy our nation,” he mentioned, with out naming these he alleged had been behind the transfer.

The Gen Z motion rejected Rajoelina’s speech as “mindless”, promising to take “all obligatory measures” if the president didn’t “reply favourably” inside 24 hours to its calls for.

There have been additionally protests within the northern coastal metropolis of Mahajanga and within the southern cities of Toliara and Fianarantsoa.

‘Opportunistic teams’

Madagascar is wealthy in sources but stays one of many world’s poorest nations, with 75 p.c of its inhabitants of 32 million dwelling under the poverty line in 2022, in accordance with the World Financial institution.

The current unrest pressured Rajoelina to sack his government on Monday and invite dialogue. In a submit on his X account on the finish of the week, he mentioned he had additionally met varied teams for the previous three days to debate the scenario.

Madagascar’s International Minister Rasata Rafaravavitafika mentioned the nation confronted “an enormous cyberattack” and a “focused digital manipulation marketing campaign” launched from one other nation.

“In line with analyses by our specialised items, this operation was initially directed from overseas by an company with superior technological capabilities,” she mentioned.

She claimed that “opportunistic teams” had “infiltrated” the protests and aimed to “exploit the vulnerability of a few of Madagascar’s younger individuals”.

Rajoelina, the previous mayor of Antananarivo, first got here to energy in 2009 following a coup sparked by an rebellion that deposed former President Marc Ravalomanana.

After sitting out the 2013 election underneath worldwide stress, he was voted again into workplace in 2018 and re-elected in 2023.