Youth revolt in Madagascar topples government

Protesters in Madagascar

Mass protests led by young people in Madagascar’s forced the prime minister from office on Monday.

The Indian Ocean island off the African coast has seen ongoing demonstrations over water shortages and power cuts. Starting last week in the capital Antananarivo, the protests spread to eight other cities.

President Andry Rajoelina initially sacked the energy minister. But protesters demanded the whole government step down. On Monday, Rajoelina announced he was dissolving the government.

The protests have been widely referred to as a “Gen Z” revolt. They reflect the outrage of Madagascar’s young people who see their hopes for the future dashed by a brutal capitalist system. They have chanted “We want to live, not survive”.

The revolts have been compared to the uprising in Kenya over austerity and police brutality and in Nepal this year that also toppled a prime minister. Young protesters in Madagascar, coordinating their actions on Facebook, have adapted the Straw Hat Pirate flag that came to prominence as a symbol of defiance in Nepal, Indonesia and the Philippines.

As in other revolts, protesters have faced lethal repression from the state. At least 22 people have been killed and 100 injured. There were reports of security forces using live bullets during the protests.

Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in Africa. It is one of the most vulnerable countries on the planet to climate change. People in rural areas in the south increasingly struggle to grow crops as drought hits.

In a country where half the population is aged 19 or under, young Malagasies in cities often find themselves trapped in precarious and low paid work. Many people work in the clothing and textiles sector, an industry that has been hit hard by Donald Trump’s trade war. 

The island is also used as a source of cheap labour for French tech firms due to its tax-free zones and links to the former coloniser.

Madagascar has faced political upheavals since its independence in 1960. In 2009, Rajoelina took power after ousting former president Marc Ravalomanana.

He came into office on the back of anger over Ravalomanana’s policies, including a proposal to lease a huge amount of land to Korean company Daewoo. The revolt saw a general strike and protesters setting fire to the state radio station.

Rajoelina is a wealthy former businessman and former mayor of the capital. He claimed to represent the hopes of young Malagasies. But he has utterly failed.

The people are demanding real change. To achieve it they will need to build a social movement that can connect the aspirations of workers with the urban and rural poor.