Five Dead as Protests Over Blackouts Turn Violent
Sep 28, 2025
Madagascar Unrest: Five Dead as Protests Over Blackouts Turn Violent
September 28, 2025
Madagascar is facing a deepening crisis as days of protests over persistent water and electricity blackouts have left at least five people dead and dozens injured.
On Friday, President Andry Rajoelina dismissed his energy minister in an effort to calm tensions, but unrest has continued in the capital, Antananarivo, where businesses have been looted and security forces have fired teargas and rubber bullets at demonstrators.
One restaurant worker recounted a terrifying scene when she arrived at her workplace:
“When we arrived this morning, thieves were still here taking what was left. They had knives and threatened and insulted us. They told us not to move or they would kill us. We can do nothing but cry. They told us they were poor, that they had nothing, and that they were forced to steal.”
The protests, led largely by students and young workers, have been fuelled by rolling blackouts lasting up to 12 hours a day.
“That means for 12 hours a day, we leave home, go to work, pay taxes, and when we return home, still no electricity,” said student Lala Herizo. “At Ankatso, classes have been suspended for a month. We are protesting so that we can resume our studies.”
Critics accuse the government of focusing on repressing demonstrations rather than protecting citizens from looters. Despite the violence, some young protesters joined in clearing wreckage on Friday.
“The city is ransacked and it is our duty to clean it up," said one young man. "I support the demonstrations that are happening peacefully. I wish there weren’t so much damage, but looters, unfortunately, there will always be.”
President Rajoelina has denounced the unrest as “acts of destabilization” and an attempted “coup d’état”, though he pledged to find solutions to the blackouts.
Authorities have imposed an overnight curfew in Antananarivo, but demonstrations are expected to continue in the coming days.
