The airline has suspended its Madagascar route as a coup threat escalates<\/p>\n
Air France has suspended flights between Paris and the Madagascan capital Antananarivo from October 11 to 13, as security concerns escalate over unrest in the African nation, Reuters reported on Sunday, citing an emailed statement from the company.
\nThe airline said it is monitoring the situation in coordination with the authorities, adding that the decision to resume operations \u201cwill remain subject to a daily assessment.\u201d According to the airline\u2019s website, some flights to, from, or via Antananarivo\u2019s airport may be disrupted until October 17.
\nThe protests under the youth-led movement Gen Z Madagascar, which began on September 25, were initially sparked by widespread electricity outages and chronic water shortages. Police have used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds, with reports of looting and attacks on shopping centers. Authorities have imposed a nighttime curfew in the capital and sealed off major roads, but the unrest has persisted.
\nOn Saturday, elite soldiers from CAPSAT units joined the protests, heightening tensions in the capital.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Attempted coup underway \u2013 Madagascar president<\/p>\n
Demonstrators have also issued an ultimatum to the government to depose President Andry Rajoelina within 48 hours, the Madagascar Tribune reported.
\nSpeaking to RT, Vsevolod Sviridov, expert at the Center for African Studies at Moscow\u2019s Higher School of Economics, emphasized that the protests had been triggered by public discontent with the quality of the urban environment, not for other reasons such as election results. According to Sviridov, the \u201ctraditionally prominent role of young people in street protests\u201d indicates a gradual shift in the sociopolitical landscape, and as the youth population grows and demands for a better quality of life rise, such protests are likely to \u201cbecome a frequent occurrence in African countries.\u201d\u00a0
\nIn a statement on Sunday, Madagascar\u2019s President Andry Rajoelina said an attempt to seize power by force is underway. The presidency called the move unconstitutional and urged all \u201cnational forces\u201d to defend constitutional order.\u00a0
\nAt the end of September, Rajoelina, responding to mounting pressure from public demonstrations, dissolved his government and named Army General Ruphin Fortunat Zafisambo as the new prime minister.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: It\u2019s 2025, but Africans are still in chains. Why?<\/p>\n
Rajoelina, a former DJ, came to power in a 2009 coup and led a transitional authority for nearly five years before winning the presidency in 2018. He was reelected in 2023 after weeks of protests and boycotts by several opposition candidates, pledging to build a stronger, more prosperous nation through industrialization, electrification, and broader access to basic services.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The airline has suspended its Madagascar route as a coup threat escalates Air France has suspended flights between Paris and the Madagascan capital Antananarivo from October 11 to 13, as…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20211,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t