African Union Suspends Madagascar After Military Coup Topples President Rajoelina

The African Union (AU) announced on Wednesday the immediate suspension of Madagascar, hours after the leader of a military coup declared he would be sworn in as the country’s new president. “The rule of law must prevail over the rule of force,” AU Commission Chairperson Mahamoud Ali Youssouf said in a statement explaining the decision.

President Andry Rajoelina fled the country fearing for his safety after weeks of escalating “Gen-Z” protests over worsening water and electricity shortages. The demonstrations, later joined by sections of the military, intensified following Rajoelina’s decision to dismiss the entire government—an act that deepened calls for his resignation. From an undisclosed location, he attempted to dissolve the National Assembly by decree, but lawmakers ignored the order and voted to impeach him on Tuesday.

Shortly thereafter, Colonel Michael Randrianirina and his elite CAPSAT unit announced that the military had seized control, dissolved most state institutions, and would install a transitional government. Randrianirina told reporters that he would soon be sworn in as president after the High Constitutional Court invited him to assume the role.

In response to the crisis, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) appointed a panel of elders to help de-escalate tensions. Malawian President Peter Mutharika, chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defense and Security Cooperation, stated that the panel—led by former Malawian President Joyce Banda—would work to promote restraint, peace, and dialogue in Madagascar. “No further Malagasy lives should be lost due to the unrest,” Mutharika emphasized.