Last week, a military coup toppled Madagascar president Andry Rajoelina, the culmination of weeks of youth protests against the country’s collapsing infrastructure.
The National Assembly impeached Rajoelina on October 14 after he attempted to dissolve it. CAPSAT, an elite military logistics unit, then announced the formation of a two-year transitional council tasked with drafting a new constitution and organizing elections. The High Constitutional Court ratified the takeover and named Colonel Michael Randrianirina interim president.
From exile, Rajoelina denounced the rebellion as “an illegal and unconstitutional attempt to seize power.”
On Monday, Randrianirina chose Herintsalama Rajaonarivelo as his prime minister—a move BBC reports angered protest leaders, who said the businessman’s selection “runs contrary to the desired structural change.”
The protests began on September 25 as hundreds of young people poured into the streets of the capital of Antananarivo, answering a viral call spread through Facebook and Instagram groups known as Gen Z Madagascar. They protested the nation’s rolling blackouts and the growing scarcity of water—a crisis that has been years in the making and that has only worsened in recent months. Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in New York, Rajoelina praised his country’s progress under his leadership during an address to the United Nations General Assembly.
Although Madagascar’s constitution guarantees the right to assemble, authorities denied permission for the march. Still, the crowd surged forward, placards raised and Malagasy flags snapping in the wind.
Then chaos erupted. Tear gas rolled through the dusty streets, shouts collided with the crack of rubber and live bullets, and protesters scattered as security forces moved in. Looters ransacked shops and homes, gunfire echoed across the city, and frightened bystanders found themselves caught in the crossfire. At least 22 people died during the protest.
Pastor Tanteraka “Tank” Randrianjoary of Tana City Church, located near Democracy Square where the protests took place, remembers that night vividly.
His sister called to say that her company’s van had been grounded—it was too dangerous to drive home. Randrianjoary drove her and her coworkers to their homes, then stopped to help a man with a broken arm and his young daughter who were trying to reach the hospital. Tear gas exploded beside their car as Randrianjoary’s ten-year-old son, who had come along to help, cried in the back seat. Inside their home, Randrianjoary’s wife, Jaela, prayed with their other children for safety—and for peace.
In the days that followed, looters set the Bible Society of Madagascar on fire, destroying about 2,700 Bibles. The protests also spread in cities across the country as their demands broadened: better schools, functioning hospitals, and transparency in government finances.
The United Nations condemned the bloodshed. “I am shocked and saddened by the killings and injuries in the protests over water and power cuts in Madagascar,” said Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, urging authorities to avoid “unnecessary and disproportionate force.”
The African Union has suspended Madagascar’s participation due to the coup.
Although Madagascar has seen political unrest before (Rajoelina rose to power 16 years ago through popular protests), this time, social media has united a generation of young protestors. They cite movements in Kenya and Nepal as inspiration. Half of Madagascar’s population is under 18, two-thirds under 30.
A former French colony that gained independence in 1960, Madagascar is home to breathtaking biodiversity—up to 90 percent of its species exist nowhere else in the world. The country also produces 80 percent of the world’s natural vanilla and nearly half of its sapphires. Yet despite this abundance, it remains one of the world’s ten poorest nations. Nearly 90 percent of Malagasy people live below the poverty line.
In Antananarivo, average monthly earnings in 2024 were less than $100 USD. Rural incomes are far lower. Chronic malnutrition affects nearly half of children under five. Over 13 million people lack access to clean water, leading to widespread disease. The country has only three hospital beds per 10,000 residents and a severe doctor shortage. Life expectancy remains low—63 years as of 2021.
Access to basic utilities has sharply deteriorated over the past decade. Nearly half of Malagasy households lack running water, according to the World Bank, and only 12 percent have access to basic sanitation. Electricity cuts cripple businesses, hospitals, and schools.
These are the issues that keep Pastor Tank awake at night. “In the past few years, Madagascar has gone backward economically,” he said. “Our currency has devalued greatly, and more of our members now struggle to meet basic needs—food, shelter, health care.”
Randrianjoary studied under Redeemer Presbyterian Church’s Timothy Keller and founded Tana City Church in 2012 in hopes of helping build faith and community amid hardship. Randrianjoary and his pastoral staff takean active role in community life—the church holds classes tohelp children develop basic skills, covers school fees and supplies for over 100 students, provides childcare and health care, and supplies groceries to struggling families.
As unrest rose in Antananarivo’s streets, church leaders stepped in to offer calm and accountability. In late September, members of the Council of Christian Churches in Madagascar—representing Catholic, Anglican, Protestant Reformed, and Lutheran denominations—urged an end to the bloodshed and offered to mediate between protestors and the government. But the talks didn’t materialize as they hoped.
The council renewed their offer on October 10, saying they were “already moving forward with mediation between the different parties.” Eighty-five percent of Madagascar’s citizens identify as Christian.
Pastor Andria Rakotomalala of Tana City Church Francophone believes civic responsibility, including advocacy for the poor, is part of the Christian faith.
“We are very resilient. … If there is no food, [we]survive on cassava,” Rakotomalala said. “But resilience cannot replace justice. Holding those in power accountable aligns with the gospel.”
On October 11, Randrianjoary, Rakotomalala, and seven other pastors released a joint statement offering prayer that “God would bring repentance, healing, an end to corruption and an end to lawless behavior at every level of society.”
Rakotomalala hopes Madagascar will become a place of peace. “We need reforms, along with free and fair elections. May there be no more interference to undermine that process.”
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