A youth-led protest movement in Madagascar has forced President Andry Rajoelina to dissolve his government after thousands demonstrated against chronic infrastructure failures. The “Gen Z” protests, which spread from the capital to eight cities, were met with a violent security crackdown that drew international condemnation.
The UN’s Volker Türk said he was “shocked” by the “unnecessary and disproportionate force,” which included live bullets and beatings. While Rajoelina has now apologized and fired his government, the move is seen as an attempt to quell the biggest political crisis of his tenure without ceding his own power, leaving the young protesters’ core demands for a better life only partially met.
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