Gambiaj.com – (Antananarivo) – Madagascar has been plunged deeper into political turmoil following the dramatic exfiltration of President Andry Rajoelina by a French military aircraft on Sunday, 12 October 2025, RFI has confirmed.
According to sources familiar with the operation, an agreement between President Rajoelina and French President Emmanuel Macron allowed for his discreet departure.
The Malagasy leader was reportedly flown by helicopter to the island of Sainte-Marie on the country’s east coast, where he boarded a French military plane bound for La Réunion. From there, he and his family are believed to have continued on to another destination, with Dubai cited as the most probable refuge.
French authorities have stressed that this operation does not amount to an intervention in Madagascar’s domestic affairs. Paris has firmly reiterated that it will not engage militarily in the ongoing crisis, underlining that French forces stationed in the Indian Ocean will not intervene on Malagasy soil.
Despite these developments, confusion remains in Antananarivo. On Sunday evening, some of Rajoelina’s allies insisted during a video call with diplomats that he was still in the capital, even claiming he was sheltering in a bunker.
The presidency itself added to the uncertainty, announcing on Facebook that the president would deliver a national address on Monday evening.
The crisis, which erupted on 25 September, was initially fueled by widespread frustration over water and electricity shortages. It has since escalated into a nationwide movement demanding Rajoelina’s resignation, marked by protests and violent repression.
Meanwhile, the country’s security landscape shifted dramatically on Monday morning. General Nonos Mbina Mamelison, who had declared a mutiny with his unit over the weekend, was formally endorsed by the ministers of Defence and Gendarmerie as the new commander of the national gendarmerie.
His appointment effectively seals a change in leadership within the force that until recently was central to suppressing the demonstrations.
As Madagascar’s political future hangs in the balance, the sudden departure of Rajoelina raises pressing questions about succession, governance, and whether the embattled nation is heading toward a negotiated transition or deeper instability.
