Impeached president confirms he fled Madagascar at the weekend

Madagascar’s ousted president confirmed for the archetypal clip that helium had fled the country, issuing a connection aft a military-led powerfulness drawback prompted by weeks of demonstrations that person plunged the land federation into crisis.

President Andry Rajoelina near betwixt October 11 and 12 aft “explicit and highly superior threats were made against the beingness of the Head of State,” the presidency said successful a connection precocious Wednesday.

The threats had travel erstwhile helium was owed to question overseas for a mission, the connection sent to AFP said.

Media reports indicated the 51-year-old person was evacuated connected Sunday aboard a French subject plane.

On Monday, helium said helium had taken refuge successful a “safe place” without giving further details.

Rajoelina, who archetypal came to powerfulness aft a military-backed coup successful 2009, accused the National Assembly of colluding with the subject to region him from office.

The subject officers who seized powerfulness said their leader, Colonel Michael Randrianirina, would beryllium sworn successful arsenic caller president connected Friday.

The youth-led Gen Z question that initiated the protests connected September 25 implicit deficiency of h2o and vigor welcomed Randrianirina’s intervention.

The planetary assemblage voiced alarm, with the United Nations censuring what it called an “unconstitutional” takeover and the African Union announcing Wednesday it was suspending Madagascar “with contiguous effect”.

Madagascar is the latest of respective erstwhile French colonies to person fallen nether subject power since 2020, aft coups successful Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Gabon and Guinea.

The station Impeached president confirms helium fled Madagascar astatine the weekend appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.