🔗 Share this article

Numerous demonstrators in opposition to the nation's leader were supported on the avenues of the main city on Saturday by soldiers from an premier army unit, who previously that day stated they would not open fire on protesters.

Marching Together with Armored Transports

Protesters marched together with military personnel from the Capsat division, who drove armored transports, some brandishing Madagascar flags, from their base in Soanierana in the southern part of Antananarivo.

Addressing the Gathering

A Capsat officer, Lylison René de Rolland, then addressed the cheering crowds in front of the city hall in 13 May Square, which activists had previously been prevented from reaching. Capsat soldiers installed the incumbent head of state, Andry Rajoelina, to power in a coup in 2009.

Escalating Tension on the Head of State

The soldiers' involvement increased tension on Rajoelina, who activists have been demanding resign. The student-led protests erupted on 25 September, initially over water and electricity cuts. However, they swiftly expanded into calls for a total overhaul of the government system, with the gen Z protesters not appeased by Rajoelina firing his administration last week.

Police Measures

That morning, police used disorientation devices and teargas to try to scatter the activists. The freshly assigned minister of the armed forces also urged troops to "keep peaceful", at a news conference on Saturday.

"We appeal to our comrades who disagree with us to emphasize dialogue," general minister Deramasinjaka Manantsoa Rakotoarivelo declared. "The Malagasy army remains a intermediary and forms the nation's ultimate protection."

Military Defiance

However, a Capsat commander accompanied by a sizable contingent of military personnel called on other troop formations to "reject directives to fire upon your friends", in a footage that was posted on online platforms before they exited their base.

"We must combine efforts, military, security forces and officers, and decline compensation to fire upon our friends, our brothers and our fellow citizens," he declared, also appealing to soldiers at the aviation hub to "stop all aircraft from departing".

"Secure the entrances and wait for our directions," he declared. "Ignore orders from your superiors. Direct your weapons at those who instruct you to attack your fellow soldiers, because they will not look after our families if we die."

Leader's Silence

Nothing has been posted on the leader's online profiles since the evening of Friday, when he was pictured discussing with the heads of 10 of the state's higher education institutions to address enhancing educational conditions.

Activist Concerns

An demonstrator who attended that day's protests stated she was concerned about the role of Capsat, due to their role in the 2009 takeover that installed Rajoelina to leadership. She also denounced political figures who made brief speeches to the gathering in front of the city hall as "those seeking advantage".

"That's why I'm not celebrating at all, because all of those people involved in this 'event' are all risky," stated the activist, who requested anonymity for concern for her well-being.

Young Generation Outlook

A representative of the young activists, a non-hierarchical group of youth that has supported the arrangement of the protests, also voiced concerns about what would transpire in the future. "We are delighted, but many developments are occurring [and] we do not desire another dishonest figure to take the power here, so we will take all measures to have the privilege to elect who to install in leadership," he commented.