Madagascar’s Gen Z activists say military government betrayed the movement that brought it to power
A year after protests helped force Andry Rajoelina from office, activists in Madagascar accuse the military-backed authorities of repeating the repression and political practices they opposed.
Madagascar’s youth-led protest movement is confronting the consequences of the military takeover it helped make possible, with activists saying the authorities have failed to deliver the political change demanded during last year’s uprising.
The protests began in Antananarivo on September 25, 2025, over chronic shortages of water and electricity before expanding into a broader challenge to President Andry Rajoelina. Soldiers from the elite Capsat unit later joined the demonstrators. Rajoelina left the country, and the military assumed power, swearing in Capsat commander Colonel Michael Randrianirina as interim leader on October 17, according to Africanews. (africanews.com)
The uprising ended weeks of unrest in which at least 22 people were killed, according to the Africanews account. The publication reported that the crackdown and the military intervention transformed a protest over basic services into a national political rupture. (africanews.com)
From alliance to disillusionment
Activists now say the new authorities have adopted tactics associated with the government they replaced. Herizo Andriamanantena, identified by Africanews as a figurehead of the movement, said reforms had produced only limited changes. Other activists described the relationship with the authorities as a betrayal.
The most serious break came after a protest march in April 2026. Africanews reported that Herizo and five other activists were detained on allegations of endangering state security and having contact with people allegedly planning another coup. Herizo spent 13 days in custody, while another activist, Nomena Ratsihorimanana, was detained for five days. These are reported accounts of the activists’ treatment and allegations; the available evidence does not establish that the detainees committed the offences alleged against them. (africanews.com)
A lawyer quoted by Africanews said the state-security charge has historically been used to silence critics. That assessment is an attributed legal opinion, not an independently established finding in the available material. (africanews.com)
A movement without one centre
The movement remains politically fragmented. Africanews described it as a broad coalition of urban and educated young people rather than a single organisation with one recognised leadership. Its original Facebook page reportedly reached about 200,000 followers before it was hacked and deleted shortly before the military changed sides. (africanews.com)
That fragmentation has made the military government’s relationship with the protesters uneven. One faction has expressed support for Randrianirina, while others have questioned official commemorations and warned that the transition may be moving away from the demands of the original demonstrations. Africanews reported that the authorities have promised elections by the end of 2027, but the available evidence does not establish a detailed, independently verified electoral timetable. (africanews.com)
The government’s current military-led character is supported by both the reported transfer of power and a current leadership record listing Colonel Michael Randrianirina as Madagascar’s president. The CIA’s World Leaders directory, updated August 10, 2026, also lists Mamitiana Rajaonarison as prime minister. (cia.gov)
What to watch next
The central test is whether the transition produces a credible route back to civilian, elected government while allowing the activists who helped remove Rajoelina to organise and criticise the authorities without politically motivated detention. The public should watch for an official election timetable, further arrests of protest organisers, the composition of the transitional administration and whether water and electricity grievances that triggered the uprising are addressed.
For Madagascar’s Gen Z activists, the question is no longer whether they can bring down a government. It is whether the system that followed will accept the demands that made their movement powerful in the first place.
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