Madagascar army unit claims control as president alleges power-grab

A renegade military unit in Madagascar has announced that it will take control of the armed forces, intensifying a crisis after the elite soldiers who once helped bring the current president to power switched sides to join antigovernment protesters. “From now on, all orders of the Malagasy army – whether land, air or [naval] – will originate from CAPSAT headquarters,” officers from the administrative and technical contingent said in a video message on Sunday. The declaration came hours after the presidency accused unnamed forces of attempting to overthrow President Andry Rajoelina. In a statement, the presidency said “an attempted illegal and forcible seizure of power” was under way in the African nation, without providing details. The crisis marks the gravest threat to Rajoelina’s rule since his disputed 2023 reelection, with the very soldiers who installed him through a 2009 coup now turning against him. Al Jazeera’s Fahmida Miller reports from Madagascar's capital, Antananarivo. Luke Freeman is a Madagascar expert at University College London. He explains what's likely to happen next. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile #Madagascar #MadagascarCoupAttempt #MadagascarPoliticalCrisis #CAPSAT #AndryRajoelina #MadagascarYouthProtests #MadagascarAntiCorruptionProtests #GenZMadagascar