🔗 Share this article

Thousands of protesters in opposition to Madagascar's head of state were joined on the streets of the capital city on Saturday afternoon by troops from an specialized army squadron, who earlier in the day said they would not open fire on demonstrators.

Advancing With Heavy Vehicles

Activists proceeded with military personnel from the Capsat unit, who drove armored vehicles, some brandishing Madagascar flags, from their barracks in Soanierana in the south of Antananarivo.

Addressing the Gathering

A Capsat leader, Lylison René de Rolland, then spoke to the enthusiastic crowds in front of the city hall in 13 May Square, which demonstrators had before been prevented from reaching. Capsat military personnel brought the incumbent head of state, Andry Rajoelina, to leadership in a seizure of power in 2009.

Raising Pressure on the President

The soldiers' involvement ratcheted up tension on Rajoelina, who demonstrators have been calling for resign. The young people-led protests broke out on 25 September, initially over utility shortages. However, they rapidly broadened into appeals for a complete overhaul of the governance structure, with the youth activists not satisfied by Rajoelina dismissing his cabinet last week.

Law Enforcement Response

Earlier in the day, law enforcement deployed disorientation devices and teargas to try to break up the activists. The recently appointed defense minister also appealed to military personnel to "keep peaceful", at a media briefing on Saturday.

"We urge our colleagues who disagree with us to emphasize dialogue," general minister Deramasinjaka Manantsoa Rakotoarivelo declared. "Our nation's military is still a mediator and represents the country's ultimate protection."

Military Defiance

However, a Capsat officer supported by a significant number of soldiers called on other army divisions to "disobey commands to shoot your friends", in a footage that was shared on social media before they departed from their headquarters.

"We must combine efforts, troops, security forces and officers, and reject payment to fire upon our friends, our comrades and our sisters," he stated, also calling on military personnel at the airfield to "prevent all flights from taking off".

"Shut the gates and await our directions," he declared. "Ignore directives from your officers. Direct your arms at those who command you to attack your military brothers, because they will not look after our families if we die."

Leader's Silence

No information has been shared on the leader's online profiles since Friday night, when he was seen meeting the directors of 10 of the nation's colleges to address bettering educational conditions.

Demonstrator Worries

An activist who attended that day's protests expressed she was concerned about the role of Capsat, due to their role in the 2009 seizure of power that installed Rajoelina to leadership. She also denounced government officials who made short statements to the masses in front of the municipal building as "opportunists".

"That's why I'm not feeling joyful at all, because all of those figures involved in this 'event' are all concerning," stated the protester, who didn't want to be named for concern for her well-being.

Gen Z Outlook

A representative of the young activists, a non-hierarchical organization of young people that has assisted in organizing the demonstrations, also raised questions about what would happen next. "We are delighted, but a lot is happening [and] we do not desire another corrupted individual to take the power here, so we will do everything to have the right to elect who to install in leadership," he stated.