Madagascar's presidency said on 12 October that an attempt to grab power by force was under way as more soldiers threw their support behind a youth-led protest movement that has rocked the African island nation for more than two weeks.
Troops from the elite CAPSAT unit, which helped President Andry Rajoelina seize power in a 2009 coup, urged fellow soldiers to disobey orders on Saturday and back the demonstrators.
The protests, initially over grassroots grievances, began on 25 September and now pose the most serious challenge to Rajoelina's rule since his reelection in 2023.
CAPSAT officers said on Sunday they had command over the country's security operations and would coordinate all branches of the military from their base on the outskirts of the capital, Antananarivo.
They said they had appointed General Demosthene Pikulas, the former head of the military academy, as army chief.
A unit of the paramilitary gendarmerie, which had so far tackled the protests together with the police, also broke ranks with the government on Sunday.
It said it was coordinating with the CAPSAT headquarters.
The defence ministry and the military general staff declined to comment.
A Reuters witness saw three people injured after shots were fired along a road to the CAPSAT barracks on Sunday. However, there was no sign of ongoing clashes.
In a statement on its social media account, Rajoelina's office said "an attempted illegal and forcible seizure of power" was under way, adding that the president had urged "dialogue to resolve the crisis".
The protests, inspired by Gen Z-led movements in Kenya and Nepal, began over water and electricity shortages. They have since spread, with demonstrators calling for Rajoelina to step down, apologise for violence against protesters, and dissolve the Senate and electoral commission.
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India has imposed stricter anti-pollution measures in its capital New Delhi and adjoining areas on Tuesday, as the air quality deteriorated to "severe" levels, the government body responsible for air quality management said.
Malaysian patrols scoured the Andaman Sea on Monday in search of dozens of members of Myanmar's persecuted Rohingya minority, following the sinking of a boat last week that was believed to be carrying them, with another vessel still unaccounted for.
Taiwan issued a land warning on Tuesday and evacuated more than 3,000 people from their homes ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Fung-wong which, while weakening, is expected to dump large amounts of rain on the island's mountainous east coast.
Thailand's government confirmed on Tuesday it will halt the implementation of an enhanced ceasefire agreement with Cambodia, signed last month in the presence of U.S. President Donald Trump and said it would explain its decision to Washington.
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Two trains crashed in Slovakia on Sunday evening after one ran into the back of the other, injuring dozens of passengers, police and the country's interior minister said.
China has announced exemptions to its export controls on Nexperia chips intended for civilian use, the commerce ministry said on Sunday, a move aimed at easing supply shortages affecting carmakers and automotive suppliers.
Russia said its forces have captured the village of Rybne in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, though Kyiv has not confirmed the claim. Ukraine’s military says it repelled multiple Russian assaults nearby amid ongoing heavy fighting.
India has imposed stricter anti-pollution measures in its capital New Delhi and adjoining areas on Tuesday, as the air quality deteriorated to "severe" levels, the government body responsible for air quality management said.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 11st of November, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Malaysian patrols scoured the Andaman Sea on Monday in search of dozens of members of Myanmar's persecuted Rohingya minority, following the sinking of a boat last week that was believed to be carrying them, with another vessel still unaccounted for.
Thailand's government confirmed on Tuesday it will halt the implementation of an enhanced ceasefire agreement with Cambodia, signed last month in the presence of U.S. President Donald Trump and said it would explain its decision to Washington.
The United Nations said Monday that Israeli restrictions continue to block the flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, a month after the ceasefire took effect.
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