Madagascar’s presidency says an illegal attempt to seize power is underway. Hours later, the army unit CAPSAT announced it had taken control of the country’s land, air, and naval forces.
CAPSAT, which played a key role in the 2009 crisis that brought President Andry Rajoelina to power, said it had appointed Gen. Demosthene Pikulas as the new army chief an appointment reportedly endorsed by Armed Forces Minister Manantsoa Rakotoarivelo.
The unrest follows weeks of protests over power outages, unemployment, and corruption. Rajoelina, whose whereabouts are unknown, condemned the move as a “violation of the Constitution” and urged unity to defend national sovereignty.
