Antananarivo, Madagascar – October 14, 2025: Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina fled the country aboard a French military aircraft on Sunday but refused to announce his resignation in a Facebook address on Monday evening, saying he would not allow “Madagascar to be destroyed” while calling for constitutional order to be respected.
Speaking from an undisclosed location after departing via a French Casa CN-235 aircraft from Sainte Marie Airport, Rajoelina confirmed he had moved to a “safe place to protect my life” following what he described as assassination attempts since September 25. A diplomatic source confirmed that Rajoelina was “refusing to step down” after his Monday night address.
Multiple sources confirmed that Rajoelina departed Madagascar on a French Army Casa aircraft on Sunday afternoon. A military source told Reuters that “a French Army Casa aircraft arrived at Sainte Marie airport in Madagascar Sunday. Five minutes later, a helicopter arrived and transferred its passenger into the Casa,” identifying Rajoelina as the passenger.
French radio RFI reported the evacuation followed negotiations between Rajoelina and French President Emmanuel Macron. When questioned at a summit in Egypt, Macron declined to confirm France’s role, stating “I will not confirm anything today. I just wish to express our great concern” while emphasizing that “constitutional order must be maintained in Madagascar”.
In his Facebook address Monday evening—originally scheduled for national television but blocked by mutinous soldiers attempting to seize state media—Rajoelina struck a defiant tone. “Since September 25, there have been threats against my life and coup attempts. A faction of military personnel and politicians conspired to assassinate me,” he stated.
The president claimed he was “forced to find a safe place to protect my life” and called for “dialogue to find a way out of this situation,” while insisting that “the constitution should be respected”. Notably, Rajoelina made no mention of resignation throughout his address, with sources confirming he was resisting calls to step down.
Rajoelina’s evacuation followed a weekend mutiny by the elite CAPSAT military unit—the same force that helped bring him to power in 2009—which declared it would not fire on protesters and escorted thousands of demonstrators to Antananarivo’s main square. CAPSAT subsequently announced it was taking control of Madagascar’s military and appointed General Demosthene Pikulas as the new army chief.
On Monday, a faction of the National Gendarmerie that supported the protests also took control of their institution during an official ceremony attended by senior government officials. The political realignment accelerated when Madagascar’s Senate removed its president, Richard Ravalomanana, and appointed Jean André Ndremanjary as acting Senate president.
Under Madagascar’s constitution, the Senate president assumes the interim presidency if the office becomes vacant. This constitutional provision has gained significance as protesters continue demanding Rajoelina’s resignation.
The protests began on September 25 over water and electricity shortages but evolved into broader demands for Rajoelina’s resignation amid accusations of corruption and poor governance. The United Nations has confirmed at least 22 deaths and numerous injuries in clashes between protesters and security forces since the unrest began.
On Monday, thousands gathered in Antananarivo’s central square chanting “the president must resign now”. Protester Adrianarivony Fanomegantsoa, a 22-year-old hotel worker earning 300,000 ariary ($67) monthly, told Reuters: “In 16 years, the president and his government have done nothing but enrich themselves while the people remain poor. And the youth, Gen Z, suffer the most”.
Madagascar, with a population of approximately 30 million and a median age under 20, has three-quarters of its population living below the poverty line according to World Bank data.
As the political crisis deepens, Rajoelina’s French evacuation and continued refusal to resign from an undisclosed foreign location highlight the tensions between his claims to defend constitutional order while his own French citizenship potentially violates the very constitution he invokes.