Madagascar's president is ousted in a military coup after weeks of youth-led protests

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina was toppled Tuesday in a military coup that capped weeks of youth protests over poverty, power outages and a lack of opportunity in the Indian Ocean island country.

Right after parliament voted to impeach Rajoelina, who fled the country fearing for his safety, the leader of Madagascar’s elite CAPSAT military unit said the armed forces would form a council made up of officers from the armed forces and gendarmerie, a military unit that polices civilians, and would appoint a prime minister to “quickly” form a civilian government.

“We are taking power,” Col. Michael Randrianirina told reporters in front of a ceremonial presidential palace in the capital, Antananarivo, as protesters celebrated the news with soldiers. He said the constitution and High Constitutional Court's powers had been suspended, and that a referendum would be held in two years, though he didn't go into detail.

From an undisclosed location after fleeing, Rajoelina issued a decree Tuesday trying to dissolve parliament’s lower house in an apparent attempt to preempt being impeached. But lawmakers ignored it and voted overwhelmingly to end the rule of the 51-year-old leader, who himself came to power as a transitional leader in a military-backed coup in 2009.

Rajoelina’s office released a statement condemning Randrianirina’s announcement as an “illegal declaration” and “a serious breach of the rule of law.”

“The Republic of Madagascar cannot be taken hostage by force. The State remains standing,” it said.

Madagascar, a sprawling island country off the east coast of southern Africa, is home to about 30 million people. It is the world’s biggest vanilla producer and, because of its geographic isolation, is known for its biodiversity. Since gaining its independence from French colonial rule in 1960, it has struggled to overcome poverty and political instability, including a series of coups.

Rajoelina's fall capped weeks of Gen Z-led protests that started over persistent electricity and water outages but snowballed into demonstrations of frustration with the government and Rajoelina's leadership. Protesters raised a range of issues, including government corruption, access to higher education, the cost of living and poverty, which affects about 75% of Madagascar's population, according to the World Bank. Although young people led the demonstrations, others also took part, including civic groups and unions.

The turning point came Saturday, when Randrianirina and CAPSAT troops joined the protests and turned against Rajoelina, which led the president to go into hiding. In a Monday night speech broadcast on social media, Rajoelina said he left the country for a "safe place" in fear for his life.

The protesters, who have been on the streets for weeks and packing a main square since Saturday, have said they were inspired by other Gen Z-led movements that toppled leaders in Nepal and Sri Lanka. The young protesters have made clear they don't have a leader.

Demonstrators insisted that change is needed in Madagascar.

“We do not get a constant supply of electricity and water from the government," said one protester, Soavololona Faraniaina. “If Madagascan children are studying in darkness, where will the future of this nation be? Where is the wealthy Madagascar that many countries envied?"

CAPSAT is the same military unit that turned against the government in 2009 and helped Rajoelina take power. The unit said over the weekend that it was taking charge of all of Madagascar's armed forces, and new heads of the military and the gendarmerie security forces have been appointed.

CAPSAT commanders previously denied that they had carried out a coup, and said Madagascar's people should decide what happens next. But the unit appeared to be in a position of authority in some areas of government decision-making since Saturday, and Rajoelina had called the military's actions a rebellion against the government and “an attempt to seize power illegally and by force.”

Imray reported from Cape Town, South Africa.

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

Shaniah Rakotohania, 18-year-old university student at Lycee Technique Alarabia, gestures during a protest calling for President Andry Rajoelina to step down in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Protesters dance on top of a car during a protest calling for President Andry Rajoelina to step down in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Protesters call for President Andry Rajoelina to step down in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Members of the CAPSAT military unit are cheered by protesters as they arrive to address a crowd, announcing plans to take on the government and dissolve the Senate and the electoral commission (CENI) in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

CAPSAT military unit commander Col. Michael Randrianirina and his troops make their way to the presidency to announce that the armed forces are taking control of the country in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Troops loyal to CAPSAT military unit commander Col. Michael Randrianirina make their way to the Presidency to announce that the armed forces are taking control of the country in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/ Brian Inganga)

CAPSAT military unit commander Col. Michael Randrianirina, center, reads a statement saying that the armed forces are taking control of the country from the steps of the Presidency in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/ Brian Inganga)

CAPSAT military unit commander Col. Michael Randrianirina and his troops make their way to the Presidency to announce that the armed forces are taking control of the country in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

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)

This grab taken from video released on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, shows Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina giving a speech from an unknown location after an apparent coup attempt forced him into hiding. (Presidency Of The Republic Of Madagascar via AP)

Shaniah Rakotohania, 18-year-old university student at Lycee Technique Alarabia, gestures during a protest calling for President Andry Rajoelina to step down in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Protesters listen to speeches during a protest calling for President Andry Rajoelina to step down in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

A protester displays a placard during a protest calling for President Andry Rajoelina to step down in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Protesters listen to speeches during a protest calling for President Andry Rajoelina to step down in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

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)

FILE - President Andry Rajoelina addresses a state ceremony, Sept. 2, 2025, in Antananarivo, Madagascar. (AP Photo/Alexander Joe, file)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke an 1807 law and deploy troops to quell persistent protests against the federal officers sent to Minneapolis to enforce his administration's massive immigration crackdown.

The threat comes a day after a man was shot and wounded by an immigration officer who had been attacked with a shovel and broom handle. That shooting further heightened the fear and anger that has radiated across the city since an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot Renee Good in the head.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, a rarely used federal law, to deploy the U.S. military or federalize the National Guard for domestic law enforcement, over the objections of state governors. In 2020, for example, he threatened to use the act to quell protests after George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police, and in recent months he threatened to use it for immigration protests.

“If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State,” Trump said in social media post.

Presidents have invoked the law more than two dozen times, most recently in 1992 by President George H.W. Bush to end unrest in Los Angeles. In that instance, local authorities had asked for the assistance.

“I’m making a direct appeal to the President: Let’s turn the temperature down. Stop this campaign of retribution. This is not who we are,” Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, said on X.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said he would challenge any such action in court. He's already suing to try to stop the surge by the Department of Homeland Security, which says officers have arrested more than 2,500 people since Nov. 29 as part of an immigration operation in the Twin Cities called Metro Surge.

The operation grew when ICE sent 2,000 officers and agents to the area early in January. ICE is a DHS agency.

In Minneapolis, smoke filled the streets Wednesday night near the site of the latest shooting as federal officers wearing gas masks and helmets fired tear gas into a small crowd. Protesters responded by throwing rocks and shooting fireworks.

Demonstrations have become common in Minneapolis since Good was fatally shot on Jan. 7. Agents who have yanked people from their cars and homes have been confronted by angry bystanders demanding they leave.

“This is an impossible situation that our city is presently being put in and at the same time we are trying to find a way forward to keep people safe,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of three people who said they were questioned or detained in recent days. The lawsuit says two are Somali and one is Hispanic; all three are U.S. citizens. The lawsuit seeks an end to what the ACLU describes as a practice of racial profiling and warrantless arrests. The government did not immediately comment.

Similar lawsuits have been filed in Los Angeles and Chicago and despite seeing initial success, have tended to fizzle in the face of appeal. In Chicago, for example, last year a judge ordered a senior U.S. Border Patrol official to brief her nightly following a lawsuit by news outlets and protesters who said agents used too much force during demonstrations. But three days later, an appeals court stopped the updates.

Homeland Security said in a statement that federal law enforcement officers on Wednesday stopped a driver from Venezuela who is in the U.S. illegally. The person drove off then crashed into a parked car before fleeing on foot, DHS said.

Officers caught up, then two other people arrived and the three started attacking the officer, according to DHS.

“Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his life,” DHS said. The confrontation took place about 4.5 miles (7.2 kilometers) from where Good was killed.

Police chief Brian O’Hara said the man who was shot did not have a life-threatening injury. O’Hara's account of what happened largely echoed that of Homeland Security, which later said the other two men were also in the U.S. illegally from Venezuela.

The FBI said several government vehicles were damaged and property inside was stolen when agents responded to the shooting. Photos show broken windows and insults made with paint. A reward of up to $100,000 is being offered for information. The FBI’s Minneapolis office did not immediately reply to messages seeking more details.

St. Paul Public Schools, with more than 30,000 students, said it would begin offering an online learning option for students who do not feel comfortable coming to school. Schools will be closed next week until Thursday to prepare for those accommodations.

Minneapolis Public Schools, which has a similar enrollment, is also offering temporary remote learning. The University of Minnesota will start a new term next week with different options depending on the class.

Madhani reported from Washington, D.C. and Golden reported from Seattle. Associated Press reporters Sophia Tareen in Chicago; Bill Barrow in Atlanta; Rebecca Santana in Washington; and Ed White in Detroit contributed.

Federal immigration officers confront protesters outside Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Law enforcement officers at the scene of a reported shooting Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

A woman covers her face from tear gas as federal immigration officers confront protesters outside Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

A protester throws back a tear gas canister during a protest after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Federal immigration officers confront protesters outside Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Minneapolis City Council Member Jason Chavez, second from left, blows a whistle with other activists to warn people of federal immigration officers Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Tear gas surrounds federal law enforcement officers as they leave a scene after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A child and family are escorted away after federal law enforcement deployed tear gas in a neighborhood during protests on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

A protester holds an umbrella as sparks fly from a flash bang deployed by law enforcement on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Monica Travis shares an embrace while visiting a makeshift memorial for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer last week, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A protester yells in front of law enforcement after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Tear gas surrounds federal law enforcement officers as they leave a scene after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Protesters shout at law enforcement officers after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Law enforcement officers stand amid tear gas at the scene of a reported shooting Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)