Madagascar President Appoints Divisional General Amid Protests

Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina appointed Divisional General Ruphin Fortunat Dimbisoa Zafisambo as prime minister on Oct. 6 in an effort to defuse surging, youth-led protests that began on Sept. 25 over persistent water and power cuts. The demonstrations, organized largely by the Gen Z Mada movement, have escalated from service outages — protesters cite up to about 120 hours of outages weekly — to mass calls for Rajoelina’s resignation and a 48-hour ultimatum. Despite sacking his government last week, Rajoelina’s move to install a military figure has not placated demonstrators, who say they will continue campaigning while he remains in power. In Antananarivo, security forces used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse hundreds of demonstrators on Monday, clashing with students from the University of Ankatso and injuring at least one person. The appointment is part of a broader attempt to stabilize the country, but tensions and daily demonstrations persist across the capital.