Protests Over Power Blackouts Escalate in Madagascar  

Hundreds of protesters clashed with security forces in Madagascar’s capital Saturday, as demonstrations over chronic power and water shortages entered their third day, killing at least five people and triggering widespread looting, Le Monde reported. 

On Saturday, demonstrators filled the streets of the capital of Antananarivo, carrying placards reading “We are poor, angry and unhappy” and “Madagascar is ours,” while security forces blocked their attempt to march toward the city center. 

The youth-led protests began Thursday, a day after authorities banned a planned demonstration over ongoing water and power cuts in the impoverished country. But the protests quickly devolved into violence as police used rubber bullets and tear gas, while students and young workers blocked roads in the capital with rocks and burning tires.  

There were reports of looting of shops and attacks on banks. Local media said a number of cable car stations were set ablaze and three homes belonging to politicians allied with President Andry Rajoelina were attacked. 

Authorities later imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew to restore order, Al Jazeera added. 

In an effort to appease protesters, Rajoelina announced the dismissal of his energy minister “for not doing his job” late last week. Even so, the president branded the protests as an attempted “coup d’état.”  

Despite the minister’s removal, protest organizers have called for demonstrations to continue and accused security forces of excessive force and a failure to prevent looting, Africanews wrote. 

Madagascar, a nation of about 30 million people, remains mired in poverty, with the World Bank estimating that 75 percent of the population was living below the poverty line in 2022.