Madagascar, is an island country in the Indian Ocean. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world’s fourth-largest island, the second-largest island country, and the 46th-largest country overall. Madagascar has recently been thrust into political turmoil. In recent weeks, the youth of the Indian Ocean nation — frustrated by chronic electricity and water shortages — took to the streets of Antananarivo in protest against President Andry Rajoelina’s administration. For many, the tipping point was not just the infrastructural decay but the government’s perceived indifference and corruption. What began as an online movement under the banner Gen Z Mada, quickly morphed into a nationwide uprising that drew thousands into the streets.
The spark came when two prominent opposition politicians were arrested for planning a peaceful protest over the state-run utility company, Jirama, whose inefficiency has long symbolized state failure (BBC News, 2025). Their detention was seen as an attempt to silence legitimate dissent, galvanizing public outrage and rallying young activists behind the Gen Z Mada movement. For weeks, demonstrators demanded Rajoelina’s resignation, accusing him of mismanaging the economy and failing to address everyday hardships.
Despite government efforts to suppress the movement — including a violent crackdown that left at least 22 dead and over 100 injured, according to a UN report — the protesters’ momentum proved unstoppable (Reuters, 2025). The youth-led movement’s energy, amplified by social media, mirrored other digital-era uprisings across Africa, from Nigeria’s #EndSARS to Sudan’s youth-driven revolution.
When the Army Joined the Protesters
The trajectory of the protests shifted dramatically when a unit of the army — the elite CAPSAT forces — joined the demonstrators. Their commander, Colonel Michael Randrianirina, declared that the military was siding with the people and would oversee a transition period. Soon after, Madagascar’s parliament voted to impeach President Rajoelina, who fled the country as soldiers marched through the capital.
In a dramatic turn of events, Randrianirina was sworn in as transitional president at the Constitutional Court in Antananarivo, promising to restore stability and hold elections within two years (Reuters, 2025). “Today marks a historic turning point for our country,” he proclaimed, pledging to “work hand in hand with all the driving forces of the nation to draft a fine constitution” and “thoroughly reform” the nation’s governance system (BBC News, 2025).
To many on the streets, it felt like victory — a generational triumph against corruption and neglect. Yet, beneath the jubilation lingered unease. Had the youth’s revolution just been co-opted?
Echoes of the Past: Madagascar’s Cycle of Coups
For observers familiar with Madagascar’s political history, this moment feels eerily familiar. The country has experienced several coups and mutinies since gaining independence from France in 1960. Ironically, Rajoelina himself came to power through a military-backed coup in 2009, supported by the very CAPSAT unit now led by Randrianirina (France24, 2025).
This pattern — of military “rescues” disguised as popular revolutions — raises fears that the Gen Z uprising may become another episode in a long cycle of interrupted democracy. As Le Monde (2025) notes, many Malagasy youths now worry that “their revolution, born from frustration and hope, has been stolen by men in uniform.”
The Anatomy of a Stolen Revolution
The signs of co-optation are hard to ignore. While Randrianirina has promised elections within two years, his ascent to power was undeniably a military takeover. The African Union and several Western governments have already condemned it as a coup d’état, despite the Constitutional Court’s insistence that the move was constitutional (AFP, 2025).
In the euphoria of Rajoelina’s ouster, few paused to question whether genuine democracy was being restored or simply replaced with military rule under a new face. This mirrors a broader trend in Africa where frustrated citizens, desperate for change, often welcome the military as a saviour — from Mali to Niger and Burkina Faso (Foreign Policy, 2025). But history suggests that such interventions rarely deliver the reforms they promise.
The military’s quick consolidation of power — coupled with its control of state media and security forces — raises the spectre of authoritarian drift. “What began as a democratic awakening risks becoming a hijacked revolution,” warned one analyst in The Guardian (2025).
Why Gen Z Revolted
Madagascar’s youth, like their peers across Africa, are facing dire socio-economic realities. Nearly 80% of the population lives on less than $2 a day, while unemployment and inflation continue to soar (World Bank, 2024). Basic services like electricity and clean water have become luxuries.
Social media became their weapon. Online spaces such as #GenZMada became platforms for venting anger, organizing protests, and demanding transparency. As Al Jazeera (2025) reported, “the movement was less about ideology and more about dignity.” Their rallying cry was simple: they wanted a government that worked — not one mired in patronage and empty promises.
This digital activism reflected a generational shift — from passive resignation to civic engagement — one that challenged Madagascar’s old political elite. Yet, despite their courage, the youth’s lack of political infrastructure made them vulnerable to manipulation by powerful actors, including the military.
Necessary Evil or Democratic Betrayal?
Supporters of the takeover argue that the coup was a “necessary evil.” They point out that Rajoelina’s government had become dysfunctional, that corruption at Jirama symbolised deeper rot, and that the military acted only after months of ignored grievances (Reuters, 2025). In this view, Randrianirina’s intervention prevented further chaos and potential civil breakdown.
However, history cautions against such optimism. Military rulers often come to power promising reform but end up entrenching themselves. The parallels with other African states — where coups began with reformist zeal but devolved into authoritarianism — are sobering. As France24 (2025) observes, “the generals who promise to save democracy often end up suffocating it.”
The new government’s early gestures — investigating Jirama, pledging constitutional reform, and courting Russian cooperation — show both ambition and potential risk. The visible presence of Russian flags during protests and Randrianirina’s meeting with Moscow’s diplomats hint at shifting geopolitical alignments, echoing patterns in Mali and Niger (Le Monde, 2025). Such moves may alienate Madagascar’s traditional partners, including France and the European Union, further isolating the island economically.
Conclusion: The Revolution That Must Be Guarded
The Gen Z uprising in Madagascar was no mere riot; it was an awakening — a generational outcry against decades of broken governance. But its hijacking by the military shows the fragility of people’s revolutions in societies where democratic institutions are weak.
It also underscores the lack of identified or properly structured leadership of these spontaneous protests, which first start on social media and spill over onto the streets. Perhaps, it is this lack of clear leadership that gives room for an organised and well-structured group like the army or a unit of it, to intervene so as not to leave a leadership vacuum, thus, averting not only a constitutional crisis but potential chaos and anarchy.
Colonel Randrianirina’s promises may buy him time, but the youth who ignited this movement will not remain silent if betrayed again. As Reuters (2025) aptly put it, Madagascar now faces “a test between revolution and regression.”
Whether this moment becomes a stepping stone to renewal or another chapter in Madagascar’s tragic cycle of coups depends on one thing: if the voices that filled the streets — the Gen Z of Madagascar — are given a seat at the table in shaping their nation’s future.
References
• BBC News (2025). “Madagascar’s Gen Z protests topple President Rajoelina.”
• Reuters (2025). “Colonel Randrianirina sworn in as transitional president.”
• Le Monde (2025). “Madagascar’s Gen Z refuses to let its victory be taken away.”
• France24 (2025). “From protest to coup: The army’s return to power in Madagascar.”
• Foreign Policy (2025). “Africa’s Generation Z and the military trap.”
• Al Jazeera (2025). “Digital generation rises against failing state in Madagascar.”
• World Bank (2024). Madagascar Country Overview.
