Gen Z has overthrown another government. The president of Madagascar evacuated by the French army

Madagascar's president in hiding, Andry Rajoelina, left the country aboard a French army plane, Radio France Internationale (RFI) reported on Monday. Mass protests of Generation Z (people born in the late 1990s and early 21st century) have been going on in the country for over two weeks.

According to RFI, the evacuation took place after an agreement was reached with French President Emmanuel Macron. The radio noted that the French authorities maintain that they are not interfering in the crisis that has been ongoing since the first protests on September 25.

Earlier on Monday, Rajoelina's office announced that the president would address the nation that day. Despite reports of his escape, his entourage, quoted by, among others, by AFP, maintained that he remained in the country.

As this agency reported, Rajoelina's speech announced for Monday evening raises hopes among Malagasy people (the indigenous inhabitants of Madagascar) that the president will resign.

At May 13 Square, the central gathering place in Madagascar's capital, Antananarivo, on Monday morning, according to various sources, from about a thousand to several thousand people gathered. The country's former president, Marc Ravalomanana, who was overthrown in 2009 by Rajoelina, supported by the army, appeared on the stage.

While reporting on the course of the protests, the French daily “Le Monde” noted that Ravalomanana was accompanied by a 19-year-old student, Mikolo, who at the beginning of the protests, standing in front of security officers, made a dramatic appeal to protect Madagascar from evil people. A recording of this scene circulated on the Internet and became a symbol of the demonstration.

On Saturday, Madagascar's elite CAPSAT army unit joined the protests. The same unit took part in a coup in 2009. In turn, the gendarmerie admitted to abuses during the suppression of protests and opposed the ministry to which it reports.

The mass mobilization, led by people from Generation Z, began on September 25. Young people took to the streets to protest against constant water and electricity cuts. Over time, the movement turned into a rebellion against the incumbent president and his entourage, which takes the form of a clan.

According to UN calculations, 22 people have been killed and over 100 injured since the beginning of the protests. The president questioned this balance and said that 12 “thieves and vandals” died in clashes with the services. (PAP)

awm/ akl/