(MENAFN) Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina’s office announced on Sunday that an illegal attempt to seize state power is currently unfolding, following a day in which troops from a key army unit threw their support behind anti-government demonstrators.

“There is an attempt to seize power at this time in the territory of the Republic, in complete violation of the Constitution and democratic principles,” the presidential statement declared.

On Saturday, soldiers from the Army Personnel Administration Center (CAPSAT)—a unit pivotal in Rajoelina’s ascent to power via a 2009 coup—issued a video backing the protests that erupted last month. “This country is facing a collapse of basic services, security forces must not follow blindly unlawful orders,” the troops said.

In a subsequent video released Sunday, CAPSAT officers asserted control over the entire military, stating, “From now on, all orders of the Malagasy army – whether land, air or the navy – will originate from CAPSAT headquarters.”

The presidency condemned what Rajoelina described as an unlawful and forceful power grab aimed at destabilizing the nation, urging all key security forces to unite in safeguarding the constitutional order and national sovereignty.

The African Union Commission (AUC) also voiced concern on Sunday via a statement on the social media platform X. Its chairperson, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, is closely monitoring the political unrest marked by army defections and protests in the capital, Antananarivo.

“He calls upon all Malagasy parties to demonstrate responsibility and patriotism and work towards the preservation of unity, stability and peace in the country, in full respect of the Constitution and established institutional frameworks,” the AUC statement read.

The anti-Rajoelina protests, initially sparked by shortages of water and electricity, have persisted for three weeks, fueled predominantly by Gen Z demonstrators demanding the president’s resignation.

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