SECURITY forces in Madagascar have fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the latest youth-led protest following two weeks of anti-government demonstrations that have rocked the Indian Ocean island.
At least 1,000 protesters marched through Madagascar’s capital on Thursday, some hurling objects at security personnel.
The movement behind the protest, known as Gen Z Mada, rejected President Andry Rajoelina’s offer to attend talks on Wednesday, demanding once again that he resign.
The group argued they could not engage with a government that has been repressing them as they demand basic human rights.
Security forces “charged at protesters with armoured vehicles”, news agency AFP reported on Thursday, adding that police had made numerous arrests.
The protests began on 25 September triggered by anger over persistent power and water shortages, and have escalated into broader dissatisfaction over corruption, high unemployment and the cost-of-living crisis.
Rajoelina held a town-hall style meeting at his palace on Wednesday with various groups of government supporters, despite Gen Z Mada’s decision not to attend, and said he would step down in a year’s time if he hadn’t addressed their concerns by then.
“I swear that if power cuts persist in the capital within a year, I will resign,” he said, assuring attendees that ongoing power projects would address the recurring outages by adding 265 megawatts to the national grid.
Many attendees had the opportunity to ask the president questions or simply share their views – to which he responded.
“I don’t want flattery. I want to hear the truth. It’s the people who kept telling me that everything was fine who are responsible for our current situation,” he said.
Rajoelina has been holding these meetings as part of his pledge to “listen more”, emphasising that the challenges facing the Indian Ocean island nation can only be solved through honest conversations and not protests.
Gen Z Mada called for a nationwide strike on Thursday, following the expiry of their 48-hour ultimatum for the president to resign. The details remain unclear.
The protest group has vowed not to back down, urging people from all regions to join them and declaring that “the Malagasy people do not submit”.
Last week, Rajoelina sacked his entire government and appointed an army general as prime minister on Monday. The protest movement rejected the appointment and vowed to continue their struggle.
Rajoelina came to power in 2009 after leading mass protests that triggered military intervention and overthrew then-President Marc Ravalomanana.
Although the youth-led movement continues to demand his resignation, street protests appear to have weakened.
Life in most parts of the capital, Antananarivo, continues as normal, except in a few neighbourhoods with a heavy police presence, where some roads have been blocked or are being closely monitored.
At least 22 people have died in clashes with security forces and scores more have been injured, according to the United Nations. The authorities have disputed these figures.