Police in Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo, fired tear gas and rubber bullets on Thursday to disperse hundreds of demonstrators protesting against crippling power cuts and water shortages.
Authorities had banned the rally a day earlier, but protesters — many of them young people mobilized through social media — defied the order and attempted to push through police barricades to reach their planned meeting point in the Ambohijatovo district, in the city center.
Chanting and waving placards, protesters carried slogans such as “Let us make our rights heard,” “Stop a life of yellow jerrycans and darkness,” and “We don’t want trouble, we just want our rights.”
By late morning, hooded anti-riot officers in white 4×4 vehicles swept into the area, firing tear gas canisters to scatter the crowd. An AFP journalist on the ground reported at least three arrests.
Despite the tense standoff, no major political leaders joined the protest, which appeared to be a grassroots-driven demonstration of frustration over worsening living conditions.
Madagascar, an island nation famed for its unique biodiversity, remains one of the world’s poorest countries despite its rich natural resources. According to the World Bank, around 75% of its 30 million people lived below the poverty line in 2022.
The latest unrest highlights the growing anger among citizens forced to endure daily hardships marked by electricity blackouts and limited access to clean water.
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