Madagascar's President Andry Rajoelina said yesterday that he had to move to a safe place to protect his life, after weeks of protests by youth calling for his resignation.
In his address to the nation, Rajoelina did not reveal his whereabouts, and his current whereabouts remain unknown, but a military source and other officials told Reuters that he left the country two days ago on a French military plane after military units in Madagascar announced support for the protesters.
The evacuation, according to French radio RFI, was carried out in agreement with French President Emmanuel Macron, although French authorities emphasize that they are not interfering in Madagascar's internal crisis, which has been rocking the country since September 25, Hina reports.
The unrest began over widespread water and electricity outages, but has grown into a nationwide movement demanding Rajoelina's resignation. Security forces have used force to disperse the protesters, while officers supporting the protesters have seized control of the military command.
Macron expressed concern
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed "great concern" about the situation in Madagascar, but did not confirm media reports that Rajoelina had boarded a French military plane and fled the country.
According to French radio RFI, Rajoelina boarded "a French military plane to Reunion on Sunday, before traveling with his family to another destination."
"I am not confirming anything today," Macron said in an interview with reporters in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on the sidelines of a summit on the Gaza peace deal.
"I want to express our great concern and France's friendship with the people of Madagascar (...) I think it is very important that constitutional order and institutional continuity are preserved in Madagascar because the stability of the country and the interests of the population depend on it," added the French head of state.
"We look at the young people of these countries with great admiration and affection. We have young people who have expressed themselves, who are politicized, who want to live better (...) they simply must not be hijacked by military factions or foreign interference," Macron continued.
The protest movement, which initially denounced continuous water and electricity cuts, has since developed into a broader challenge to President Rajoelina (51) and his clan.
At least 22 people were killed at the start of the demonstrations and more than 100 were injured, according to a United Nations report, which the Malagasy head of state denied, citing 12 deaths, all of whom were "looters and vandals," he said.
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