The US State Department upgraded its travel advisory for Madagascar due to ‘crime and unrest.’
Since the Level 3 advisory was issued on September 27 urging Americans to reconsider travel to the island, the dynamics on the ground in Madagascar have gotten far more serious.
The nation’s president, Andry Rajoelina, fled the country on Monday after weeks of protests over a dismal jobs market, a lack of water and food and regular cuts to electricity.
The protests were largely led by young citizens fed up with the status quo, and at the same time, a military coup led by Colonel Michael Randrianirina was underway.
The tides largely shifted in favor of anti-government forces on October 11, when soldiers from the elite military unit joined the protestors to a square in the capital and called for Rajoelina’s resignation.
This same military unit had helped Rajoelina come to power in a 2009 coup. During the protest last week, the unit said it had taken control of the nation’s armed forces.
Since Rajoelina was missing in action, Madagascar’s highest court on Tuesday upheld the National Assembly’s decision to impeach him for desertion of duty.
Massive crowds, including some US officials, gathered in the capital city of Antananarivo on Friday for Randriairina’s swearing in as the new president.
Colonel Michael Randrianirina is pictured speaking after being sworn in as the new president of Madagascar. He led a military coup against Andry Rajoelina who had led the country since 2009
Rajoelina (pictured) fled the country sometime last weekend for his safety and has been officially ousted from power
Members of Madagascar’s military police take cover behind their shields amid tear gas during clashes on October 11 between demonstrators and security forces in protests
A police armored vehicle is burned by protestors as police began losing control
Randriairina, the leader of the coup, said Madagascar had been ‘driven by the desire for change and a deep love for their homeland.’
He said he hoped his leadership would ‘joyfully open a new chapter in the life of our nation’.
The mass unrest in the country killed 22 people and injured more than 100 others, according to the United Nations.
Randriairina was a major voice calling on the troops to side with student protestors against Rajoelina.
Hours after he posted a video online supporting a rebellion, soldiers were seen clashing with police in the capital. All while this was happening, Rajoelina made no public statements or appearances.
‘Nothing is working in Madagascar, there is no president, no president of the senate, no president of the government,’ Randriairina declared when he appeared on the streets. ‘Nothing is working, so we have to take responsibility, that’s it.’
Both the United Nations and the African Union have condemned the military coup as unlawful.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Thursday that ‘the unconstitutional change of government in Madagascar’ should be reversed.
The African Union suspended Madagascar’s membership from the bloc, while calling for immediate elections and a return to civilian rule.
Baobab trees in Morondava, a coastal town in Madagascar
An overhead view of Antananarivo, the capital city of Madagascar. This is where much of the anti-government protests took place
The unrest is in stark contrast to the island’s peaceful beaches
The US government has not explicitly condemned the takeover, but still urges Americans to exercise caution when traveling to Madagascar.
‘Violent crime occurs throughout Madagascar, particularly after dark. This includes armed robbery and assault. It can happen in remote areas, and along major national roads in the country’s south and west,’ according to the State Department advisory.
It also referenced the protests, saying that demonstrators have ‘engaged in rioting, looting, vandalism and destruction of property’.
Despite international disapproval, Randriairina has said that the military will rule for at least two years before it considers having new elections.
Some young people who had protested showed signs of caution and mistrust in the military for taking over so fast amid the chaos.
Francko Ramananvarivo, 23, told Reuters: ‘Our objective is to be led by a government that is close to the people. We are not there yet.’
Madagascar has had several leaders removed in coups and has a history of political crises since it gained independence from France in 1960.
The 51-year-old Rajoelina first came to prominence as the leader of a transitional government following the 2009 coup that forced then-President Marc Ravalomanana to flee the country and lose power.
Rajoelina was elected president in 2018 and re-elected in 2023 in a vote boycotted by opposition parties.
