Madagascar’s Leader Vows Major Reforms

(MENAFN) Madagascar’s head of state, Andry Rajoelina, has vowed to implement significant reforms in the country’s administration following intense public unrest.

These developments come in the wake of violent demonstrations triggered by continuous electricity outages and a lack of clean water, prompting officials to enforce a night-time curfew across the capital city.

According to reports, no fewer than five individuals lost their lives last Thursday in Antananarivo, the capital of the southeastern African nation, during rallies spearheaded by the youth-led group, ‘Gen Z Madagascar’.

Protesters have been demanding dependable access to electricity and safe drinking water—basic services they argue have deteriorated due to longstanding corruption and poor governance.

Despite official prohibitions, the protests proceeded and quickly descended into violence.

Confrontations broke out between demonstrators and law enforcement, who deployed tear gas and rubber bullets in an attempt to disperse the crowds, as reported by local news outlets.

Protesters retaliated by torching cable car stations, looting retail stores, and reportedly targeting the residences of two parliamentarians.

One of the main commercial hubs affected by the unrest was the Tana Water Front shopping center, which was pillaged and set ablaze.

In a statement, the mall's administration expressed devastation, declaring that “years of effort and labor, even a lifetime’s investment, were destroyed in a few hours.”

Later that evening, a broadcast on a privately-owned TV featured Angelo Ravelonarivo, the head of a combined police and military security task force.

He condemned those who used the protests as an opportunity to “destroy other people’s property.”

He went on to declare a dusk-to-dawn curfew aimed at safeguarding civilians and their assets “until public order is restored.”

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