Madagascar president leaves country after soldiers turn against him

President Andry Rajoelina is believed to have fled the country (Alexander Joe/AP)

Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina has left the country after an elite military unit turned against the government in an apparent coup, an opposition official said on Monday.

The politician’s comments came shortly before Mr Rajoelina was due to appear on national television to make a speech to the people of Madagascar.

Mr Rajoelina’s office said that his speech would be broadcast on state television and radio at 7pm local time, but didn’t say if the president was still in Madagascar amid reports he had fled following weeks of deadly anti-government protests.

Those protests, which were initially led by youth groups, reached a turning point on Saturday when soldiers from the elite Capsat military unit accompanied demonstrators to a square in the capital, Antananarivo, and called for Mr Rajoelina and several government ministers to leave office.

The unit, which helped Mr Rajoelina first come to power as transitional leader in a military-backed coup in 2009, said that it had taken charge of all the armed forces in Madagascar.

Siteny Randrianasoloniaiko, the leader of the opposition in parliament, said that Mr Rajoelina “ran away” from the country on Sunday after soldiers turned against him.

On Sunday, Mr Rajoelina’s office said that “an attempt to seize power illegally and by force” was underway in the nation of 31 million off the east coast of Africa.

The president’s current whereabouts are unknown and a spokesperson for the president did not respond to phone calls and messages.

Amid reports that France had flown Mr Rajoelina out of Madagascar, the French Foreign Ministry referred The Associated Press to a statement from the French Embassy that said “no French military intervention is underway or planned in Madagascar, whose sovereignty and territorial integrity France fully respects”.

Madagascar is a former French colony, while Mr Rajoelina reportedly has French citizenship, which has previously been a source of discontent among Madagascans.

Mr Rajoelina has not identified who was behind the attempted coup, but the Capsat military unit appeared to be in a position of authority and on Sunday appointed a general as the new head of Madagascar’s armed forces, which was accepted by the defence minister.

A commander of Capsat, Colonel Michael Randrianirina, said that his soldiers had exchanged gunfire with security forces who were attempting to quell weekend protests, and one of his soldiers was killed. But there was no major fighting on the streets, and soldiers riding on armoured vehicles and waving Madagascar flags were cheered by people in Antananarivo.

Col Randrianirina said that the army had “responded to the people’s calls,” but denied there was a coup.

Speaking at the country’s military headquarters, he told reporters that it was up to the Madagascan people to decide what happens next, and if Mr Rajoelina leaves power and a new election is held.

The US Embassy in Madagascar advised American citizens to shelter in place because of a “highly volatile and unpredictable” situation. The African Union urged all parties, “both civilian and military, to exercise calm and restraint”.