African Union suspends Madagascar after military takeover

Thursday, October 16, 2025 - The African Union (AU) has suspended Madagascar following a military takeover that removed President Andry Rajoelina from power. 

Army colonel Michael Randrianirina now leads the country. He said on Wednesday, October 15, that he would soon be sworn in as president after the constitutional court invited him to assume the role. 

The announcement came just hours after the AU condemned the coup and froze Madagascar’s membership with immediate effect. 

Rajoelina, who fled the country over the weekend amid mounting street protests and military defections, has rejected his impeachment by lawmakers and denounced the military’s seizure of power. 

“My so-called removal is null and void,” he said in a statement issued from abroad. 

Weeks of youth-led demonstrations, dubbed the “Gen Z protests,” had shaken the capital, Antananarivo, with thousands demanding Rajoelina’s resignation over corruption allegations and economic hardship. 

The unrest escalated when units of the army joined the protesters, refusing orders to suppress the demonstrations 

By Tuesday, October 14, the military announced it had dissolved all state institutions except the lower house of parliament, which had voted to impeach Rajoelina. Randrianirina, the commander of the elite army unit CAPSAT, said the intervention was necessary “to restore order” and promised a transition lasting up to two years before new elections. 

“We took responsibility yesterday,” Randrianirina told journalists. “We will be sworn in soon.” 

The African Union’s Peace and Security Council described the events in Madagascar as an “unconstitutional change of government,” a move that automatically triggers suspension under AU rules. 

According to a Reuters report, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, chairperson of the AU Commission, said the bloc maintained “an unwavering respect for constitutional order and peaceful resolution of disputes.” 

“The rule of law must prevail over the rule of force,” Youssouf said during a council session in Addis Ababa. “Our approach is grounded in law and dialogue.”