Madagascar activists accuse post-protest government of betrayal

Activists who helped organise Madagascar’s protests over chronic water and electricity shortages say they have been betrayed by the authorities who took power after President Andry Rajoelina left the country.

The movement began with a protest on September 25. Soldiers from the Capsat military unit joined demonstrators in October, after which the military seized power. Capsat commander Colonel Michael Randrianirina was sworn in as interim leader on October 17.

The unrest claimed at least 22 lives, including deaths during a government crackdown. Activists now say the changes that followed the takeover have been limited, while some campaigners calling for quicker reforms were arrested.

Activists describe limited change

Herizo Andriamanantena, a figurehead of the movement, said the transition had produced only “little changes here and there”. He said activists who were detained were accused of endangering state security and of having contact with people allegedly planning another coup.

Andriamanantena was held for 13 days on a charge of endangering state security. Recalling his detention, he said he was placed in a small cell with around 20 prisoners, including people accused of serious offences.

“You fought for your country but you’re treated like a criminal,” he said.

Lawyer Maromanana Aliarivelo said the charge had long been used by those in power in Madagascar to silence critics. He described it as “the tool par excellence used for ages by those in power in Madagascar” and said it was “always a way of saying ‘shut up’”.

Andriamanantena and activist Nomena Ratsihorimanana both lost their jobs. Ratsihorimanana, who worked for the National Human Rights Observatory, was released after five days in detention.

Ratsihorimanana alleged that he was hit by an SUV and beaten during his arrest. He also said guns were put in the activists’ mouths and that they were threatened with death. Those claims are allegations attributed to Ratsihorimanana and have not been independently established.

A divided movement

The protest campaign, known as Gen Z Madagascar, drew mainly urban and educated young people. Its original Facebook page had around 200,000 followers at the height of the revolt, but was hacked and deleted before the military switched sides.

The movement was diverse and contained several factions. Felana Andriatahina, an activist and eco-construction entrepreneur, said its supporters were “like a box of coloured pencils”.

“There are several shades but it’s the same box,” she said.

Andriatahina said the authorities were in power because protesters had taken to the streets. “It’s thanks to us taking to the streets… that they’re in power today,” she said, describing the treatment of activists as “a betrayal”.

Political scientist Ketakandriana Rafitoson pointed to uncertainty within the movement, saying: “I don’t even know how many sub-movements there are, who the real Gen Z are, the fake ones.”

The movement’s name refers to a youth-led campaign that had brought down Nepal’s government a few weeks earlier. UNICEF has said around 70 percent of Madagascar’s population is under 30, although some people involved in the protests fall outside the 1997–2012 birth-year range commonly associated with Gen Z.

Anniversary plans raise concern

Official commemorations were planned in Antananarivo for the anniversary of the first protest. The programme included the unveiling of a stele, a march and an address by Randrianirina at May 13 Square, a site associated with political protest in Madagascar.

Elliot Randriamandrato, an administrator of the movement’s original Facebook page, questioned whether the commemorations would serve the protesters’ original aims.

“If it’s something that’s being used again, it’s pointless,” he said.

Randrianirina has promised elections by the end of next year. However, the promised vote has not been independently confirmed as certain to take place, and divisions remain among the activists who helped force the previous president from office.