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Demonstrators took to the streets of Madagascar cities on Monday for a third consecutive week of protests against the government, now calling for the resignation of President Andry Rajoelina.
In Antananarivo, police used tear gas to break up the crowds, according to a Reuters correspondent. A vast number of the protesters were university students who leveraged last month’s demonstrations over water and electricity shortages to express broader discontent with the administration.
Motivated by similar “Gen Z” rallies in Kenya and Nepal, these protests represent the biggest wave of agitation in Madagascar in recent years, highlighting widespread frustration over poverty and high-level corruption.
Malagasy television networks broadcast footage on Monday showing police confronting demonstrators in Toliara in the south and Diego Suarez in the north.
Last week, Rajoelina dismissed his cabinet, but many protesters are now calling for the 51-year-old leader to resign.
The United Nations has reported at least 22 fatalities and over 100 injuries in the early days of the protests, numbers that the government has contested.
In a speech on Friday, Rajoelina expressed his willingness to address the protestors’ concerns while dismissing demands for his resignation. In a different statement issued on Monday, the presidency noted that some civil society groups had met with Rajoelina on Saturday, although they did not share specific details.
Other organisations said in their own announcement that they declined to attend because the authorities had not guaranteed that demonstrations could occur freely and that arrested protesters would be released.
