Mass protests have erupted in Madagascar following the impeachment of President Andry Rajoelina, with demonstrators accusing France, the country’s former colonial ruler, of meddling in the island’s political crisis.
Placards at rallies in the capital, Antananarivo, bore messages such as “France out” and “Rajoelina and Macron out,” after reports emerged that the embattled president had fled on a French military plane amid mounting pressure from the army and opposition groups.
“They are still colonising us even though we are supposed to be independent,” said Koloina Andrianina Rakotomavonirina, a 26-year-old engineer. “It’s unfair that they intervene in such a matter.”
The 51-year-old president’s whereabouts remain unknown, prompting the national assembly to impeach him on Tuesday for desertion of duty. The move cleared the path for a military unit known as CAPSAT to seize control of government operations.
Anti-French Sentiment Deepens
According to Christiane Rafidinarivo, a Paris-based political scientist, the wave of anti-French sentiment comes as no surprise.
“France represents colonialism,” she said. “This perception runs deep in public opinion and resurfaces depending on current events.”
France’s colonial rule over the Indian Ocean island, which lasted until Madagascar’s independence in 1960, remains a painful memory. A 1947 rebellion against French occupation left tens of thousands of Malagasy dead following a brutal crackdown by colonial forces.
Adding to the tension, President Emmanuel Macron has neither confirmed nor denied reports that Rajoelina was evacuated aboard a French aircraft. However, Paris’s decision to pardon two French nationals jailed in Madagascar on coup-related charges announced the same day has fuelled speculation of a backdoor deal.
Citizenship Controversy and Political Fallout
Rajoelina’s long-standing ties with France have drawn criticism at home, particularly after media reports in 2023 revealed he had acquired French citizenship nine years earlier.
The revelation, which came just before the 2023 presidential election, led opposition parties to demand his disqualification, arguing that he had automatically forfeited his Malagasy nationality under national law.
Despite the controversy, Rajoelina went on to win reelection, although the polls were boycotted by most opposition parties and recorded low voter turnout.
Political analyst Adrien Ratsimbaharison, who authored a book on Rajoelina’s 2009 coup, said the scandal cemented public distrust of both the president and France.
“The opposition accused him of being a French agent,” Ratsimbaharison said. “France’s early recognition of his presidency in 2011 by Nicolas Sarkozy gave him undue legitimacy, which many Malagasy have not forgiven.”
Social Media Rumours and Historical Resentment
On Malagasy social media, anti-French sentiment has been amplified by rumours and misinformation, including a widely circulated photo falsely claiming that French gendarmes had been deployed to support Rajoelina.
The Malagasy gendarmerie later clarified that the officer in the photo was wearing French insignia only because he had undergone training in France.
Still, many citizens accuse France of maintaining economic dominance through French-owned companies, sex tourism, and low-wage outsourcing, particularly in call centres employing French-speaking Malagasy workers.
“I was tired of being insulted by the French,” said 27-year-old Mampionona Razafinjoelina, who quit his call-centre job in protest.
Macron’s Call for Reconciliation
During a visit to Madagascar in April, President Macron expressed a desire to foster “forgiveness” for France’s colonial past.
The gesture included the return of the remains of a Malagasy king killed by French forces in 1897 repatriated in September and the establishment of a Franco-Malagasy commission to investigate colonial-era atrocities.
Despite these symbolic efforts, resentment continues to fester across Francophone Africa, where several countries Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Gabon have also witnessed anti-French protests and political ruptures in recent years.
As Madagascar enters another period of political uncertainty, the question of France’s influence looms large once again, reigniting debates over sovereignty, neocolonialism, and the legacy of empire in Africa.
