After Bangladesh, Nepal, Now Madagascar: The Gen Z Protests That Rocked Another Government

Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina reportedly flees amid massive Gen Z-led protests over power cuts, corruption, and poverty. Youth and defecting military units demand change, marking the island nation as the latest in a wave of global uprisings.

Image Credit : Getty

A New Kind of Revolution: The Gen Z Uprising Spreads South

For weeks, Madagascar’s streets have echoed with the chants of thousands of young voices demanding change. They are angry, determined, and tired of waiting for a better tomorrow. And now, their voices have toppled another government.

After youth-led uprisings in Bangladesh and Nepal, Madagascar has become the latest country swept up in a wave of Gen Z-driven unrest that is reshaping the global political landscape.

President Andry Rajoelina, 51, who first seized power in a 2009 coup, is said to have fled the country after parts of the army joined the demonstrators. According to Reuters, Siteny Randrianasoloniaiko, the opposition leader in Madagascar’s parliament, confirmed that Rajoelina “left the country on Sunday after parts of the army joined the protesters.”

“We called the staff of the presidency and they confirmed that he left the country,” Randrianasoloniaiko said. Rajoelina’s exact location remains unknown.

Image Credit : Getty

A President in Flight — and in Denial

On Monday, however, Rajoelina appeared on Facebook from what he described as a “safe place,” denying that he had fled and insisting that he had relocated for his own protection.

“Since September 25, there have been attempts on my life and coup attempts. A group of military personnel and politicians planned to assassinate me,” he declared in his live address. “I was forced to find a safe place to protect my life.”

He added defiantly, “I will not allow Madagascar to be destroyed.”

According to French media, the president was airlifted out of Madagascar aboard a French military aircraft, reportedly following a deal with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Macron, speaking from Egypt after a Gaza ceasefire summit, refused to confirm France’s involvement, saying only that “constitutional order must be preserved in Madagascar.” He acknowledged the “grievances of the country’s youth” but warned that those grievances “should not be manipulated by military forces.”

Image Credit : Getty

From Power Cuts to Political Collapse

What began as small protests over water and power shortages on September 25 soon turned into a nationwide revolt. The anger wasn’t just about the lights going out—it was about corruption, unemployment, and the feeling that a generation had been forgotten.

“In 16 years, the president and his government have done nothing except enrich themselves while the people stay poor. And the youth, the Gen Z, suffer the most,” said Adrianarivony Fanomegantsoa, a 22-year-old hotel worker earning just 300,000 ariary (about USD 67) a month.

Madagascar, home to around 30 million people, is one of the world’s poorest nations, with a median age under 20. According to the World Bank, its GDP per capita has fallen by 45 percent since independence from France in 1960.

Image Credit : Getty

The Military’s Change of Heart

The tipping point came when the elite CAPSAT military unit, which once helped Rajoelina seize power in 2009, refused orders to shoot at protesters.

The unit instead escorted thousands of demonstrators through Antananarivo’s central square and announced it was taking control of the army. Soon after, a faction of the gendarmerie, the country’s paramilitary police, also defected—openly apologising in a video statement for their “faults and excesses” during earlier crackdowns.

One rally at the city hall in Antananarivo felt like a festival. “We hope that he will apologise and genuinely announce his resignation,” said Finaritra Manitra Andrianamelasoa, a 24-year-old law student waving a large Gen Z movement flag.

Nineteen-year-old Steven Rasolonjanahary added: “We already expect him to offer his apologies to all Malagasy citizens, as we have had many casualties, relatives, who have been injured during the protests.”

According to the United Nations, at least 22 people have been killed since demonstrations began, while hundreds more have been injured.

Image Credit : Getty

Echoes of a Troubled Past

Rajoelina’s career has always been tied to the military. Once a young mayor of Antananarivo, he led a 2009 uprising that ousted then-president Marc Ravalomanana with CAPSAT’s backing. The international community condemned it as a coup, freezing aid and investment for years.

He returned to power through elections in 2018, and despite allegations of corruption and dual nationality controversies, he secured a second term in 2023 amid a boycotted vote.

Now, the same forces that helped him rise have brought him down.

Image Credit : Getty

The Last Acts of a Cornered Leader

As the capital erupted, Rajoelina made one last attempt to show control—pardoning several prisoners, including two French nationals, Paul Maillot Rafanoharana and Francois Marc Philippe, convicted of plotting a coup in 2021.

The decree, issued just before his departure, was seen by many as a desperate political gesture.

Meanwhile, the Senate president was removed, and Jean Andre Ndremanjary was named interim leader—setting the stage for a constitutional transition and new elections.

Image Credit : Getty

Why Gen Z Is Rising

The Malagasy uprising is part of a wider pattern spreading across continents. In Bangladesh, students revolted against unemployment and political repression. In Nepal, it was anger over corruption and a stagnant economy.

Across these nations, Gen Z—young, digitally connected, and fearless—has taken centre stage. They coordinate through social media, distrust political elites, and see protest not as rebellion, but as survival.

In Antananarivo’s central square, that generational rage was on full display. “The president must quit now,” protesters chanted as military trucks joined their ranks instead of firing on them.

As Madagascar waits to see whether Rajoelina’s fall will usher in reform or renewed chaos, one truth has emerged: a generation once dismissed as apolitical has become a political force.

From Dhaka to Kathmandu to Antananarivo, they have shown that Gen Z is no longer just watching history—they’re making it.

(With inputs from agencies)