Madagascar's president says a coup is underway after soldiers joined anti-government demonstrations

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — Madagascar's president said Sunday that an attempted coup was underway in the Indian Ocean country, just a day after members of an elite army unit joined youth-led protests against the government and called for the president to step down.

President Andry Rajoelina’s office offered no details on who was behind the attempt and no signs of violence were immediately visible on the streets on Sunday, although there was a large military presence.

A commander of the elite CAPSAT unit, Col. Michael Randrianirina, denied any coup had taken place, but the unit claimed to have taken control of all of Madagascar's armed forces and said it had installed a new leader of the military, Gen. Demosthene Pikulas.

“We responded to the people's call,” Randrianirina told reporters. Pikulas, who spoke alongside Randrianirina, declined to say if they had asked Rajoelina to resign, but the CAPSAT army unit appeared to be in a position of authority.

Madagascar has been shaken by three weeks of the most significant unrest in years in the nation. The protests were led by a group calling itself “Gen Z Madagascar,” and the United Nations says the demonstrations have left at least 22 people dead and dozens injured. The government has disputed this number.

The whereabouts of the president were not immediately known on Sunday. His office said he “wishes to inform the nation and the international community that an attempt to seize power illegally and by force” has been “initiated.”

“In view of the extreme gravity of this situation,” the president’s office “strongly condemns this attempt at destabilization and calls upon all forces of the nation to unite in defense of constitutional order and national sovereignty,” it said.

CAPSAT is the same army unit that was pivotal in a 2009 military-backed coup that first brought Rajoelina to power as the head of a transitional government.

A turning point in these protests came Saturday when soldiers from CAPSAT joined weekslong anti-government demonstrations and called for Rajoelina and government officials to step down.

Saturday's protests were among the largest since the unrest began on Sept. 25 and Randrianirina said his troops had exchanged fire with security forces who were attempting to quell the protests and that one of his soldiers had been killed.

Speaking to crowds from an armored vehicle, Randrianirina said Saturday that Rajoelina, his new prime minister, the minister of the gendarmerie and the commander of the gendarmerie “must leave power. That's all.”

"Do we call this a coup? I don’t know yet,” Randrianirina had said.

Madagascar, a large island of 31 million people off the east coast of Africa, has had several leaders removed in coups and has a history of political crises since it gained independence from France in 1960.

The 51-year-old Rajoelina first came to prominence as the leader of a transitional government following a 2009 coup that forced then-President Marc Ravalomanana to flee the country and lose power. Rajoelina was elected president in 2018 and reelected in 2023 in a vote boycotted by opposition parties.

As the news of Rajoelina’s statement broke, the U.S. Embassy in Madagascar advised American citizens to shelter-in-place due to a “highly volatile and unpredictable” situation. The African Union urged all parties, “both civilian and military, to exercise calm and restraint.”

The youth-led protests first erupted last month over electricity and water outages but have snowballed into larger dissatisfaction with the government and the leadership of Rajoelina.

Protesters have brought up a range of issues, including poverty and the cost of living, access to tertiary education, and alleged corruption and embezzlement of public funds by government officials and their families and associates.

Civic groups and trade unions have joined the protests, which have resulted in nighttime curfews being enforced in the capital, Antananarivo, and other major cities. The U.N. criticized the security forces for a “violent response” in the early days of the protests that led to the deaths of largely peaceful protesters, it said.

Rajoelina attempted to appease the protesters by firing his entire government, including the prime minister, on Sept. 29. But the protesters have not relented.

The Gen Z protesters who inspired the uprising have mobilized over the internet and say they were inspired by other protests that toppled governments in Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Imray reported from Cape Town, South Africa.

AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

Soldiers are greeted by people gathering for a ceremony in tribute to demonstrators killed during recent anti-government protest in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Mamyrael)

Soldiers are greeted by people gathering for a ceremony in tribute to demonstrators killed during recent anti-government protest in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Mamyrael)

Soldiers are greeted by people gathering for a ceremony in tribute to demonstrators killed during recent anti-government protest in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Mamyrael)

Soldiers are greeted by people gathering for a ceremony in tribute to demonstrators killed during recent anti-government protest in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Mamyrael)

People taking selfies as the soldiers joined anti-government protests in the city center in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Joe)

Soldiers are greeted by people gathering for a ceremony in tribute to demonstrators killed during recent anti-government protest in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Mamyrael)

Police arrest a demonstrator during a protest calling for president to step down in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Joe)

An protester watches police near burning barricades during a protest calling for the president to step down in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Joe)

Police patrol the streets during a protest calling for the president to step down in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Joe)

Protesters are tear-gassed during a protest calling for the president to step down in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Joe)

Street vendors pull a cart filled with their merchandise as police clash with demonstrators during a protest calling for the president to step down in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Joe)

BERLIN (AP) — European soccer federations told UEFA they are not happy with the new extended four-game blocks of international matches that finished this week.

Injured players like Kylian Mbappé missed too many games, Erling Haaland asked to come off in Norway’s fourth match, resources were stretched for coaches in smaller countries and extra demands were made on the time and money of fans and sponsors.

A “disaster,” said one official among multiple federations who spoke to The Associated Press on the sidelines of a closed-doors UEFA meeting Thursday in Berlin. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the confidential debate.

UEFA said it will gather their views to weigh a submission to FIFA about the 16-day block that combined what used to be separate two-game breaks in September and October.

Still, the four-game early-season block is locked in for four more years on the FIFA-managed calendar for international matches that is finalized through 2030. That year national teams in Europe will play four games between Sept. 23 to Oct. 8. Next year they will be qualifying games for the 2028 European Championship.

Fewer but longer breaks for international games have long been wanted by European clubs seeking to limit disruption to their seasons, and cut long-haul travel for their players from outside the continent.

Still, the past three weeks have not been popular with one Champions League club, whose coach led his national team Croatia for two years including at the 2014 World Cup.

“We now have the issue of not only having the occasional player coming back injured, but also the fact you go two or 2½ weeks without any momentum,” Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovač said this week. “We’re all starting from scratch now, in a sense.”

Outside of Europe, FIFA has said the longer break allowed time for regional tournaments like the eight-team Arabian Gulf Cup played Sept. 23-Oct. 6 in Saudi Arabia.

FIFA pushed to condense international breaks in 2021 as part of its biennial World Cup proposal, and later updated its calendar for men’s soccer.

The calendar mandates when clubs must release players for international duty, including the World Cup, where FIFA pays hundreds of millions of dollars to clubs worldwide whose players represented their national teams.

After the UEFA meeting Thursday, officials said only Azerbaijan among the 55 member federations spoke out in clear defense of FIFA’s management of the calendar.

The four-game break followed two months after the longest-ever World Cup, the first with 48 teams and where Norway played into July after reaching the quarterfinals.

“For those who play in the Champions League and have had little vacation, it’s more brutal than for the others,” Norway coach Stale Solbakken said of the schedule and after substituting Haaland in the second half of a loss Sunday to Portugal.

Haaland faces an intense week with Manchester City, going to Liverpool on Sunday in the Premier League then hosting Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday.

European national teams next call up players for camps starting Nov. 9 to play two games that complete the Nations League group phase.

AP Sports Writer Ciarán Fahey contributed to this report

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

Norway head coach Stale Solbakken embraces Norway's Erling Haaland as he leaves the pitch after being substituted during the Nations League soccer match between Portugal and Norway in Porto, Portugal, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Luis Vieira)

Slovenia's Erik Janza, left, and Scotland's Ben Gannon-Doak battle for the ball during the Nations League soccer match between Scotland and Slovenia in Glasgow, Scotland, Tuesday Oct. 6, 2026. (Andrew Milligan/PA via AP)

France's Kylian Mbappe lieas on the ground after he scored and injured himself during the UEFA Nations League soccer match between Turkey and France in Izmit, Turkey, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Norway's Erling Haaland applauds the fans when leaving the pitch after being substituted during the Nations League soccer match between Portugal and Norway in Porto, Portugal, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Luis Vieira)