The arrest of several young protesters in Madagascar has intensified fears among the country’s Gen Z activists that the military regime that seized power last year may be no better than the government it ousted.
Four Gen Z figures — Herizo Andriamanantena, Miora Rakotomalala, Dina Randrianarisoa and Nomena Ratsihorimanana — were detained on 12 April, their lawyer, Aliarivelo Maromanana, said. They had taken part in a protest two days earlier calling for a date for national elections. Authorities have accused them of undermining state security and criminal conspiracy; Maromanana said they deny the charges and that there is no evidence.
Col. Michael Randrianirina came to power in a coup in October 2025 after weeks of youth-led demonstrations under the Gen Z Madagascar banner. When asked about the arrests, his spokesperson, Harry Laurent Rahajason, pointed to separation of powers, saying the presidency has no role in police-handled cases.
Two of the detained activists were released and taken to hospital, Maromanana said; by Friday only Herizo, the movement’s leader, remained in custody. Local media quoted police as saying the detainees were neither harmed nor intimidated and that the two who went to hospital had fallen ill. On Wednesday night, two more activists were arrested, Gen Z 261 — one of the groups that emerged from the previously leaderless movement — said; no further details have been provided about their detention.
Many young people who cheered when the previous president, Andry Rajoelina, fled last October are now disillusioned. They point to Randrianirina’s appointment of officials seen as part of the old elite, a lack of meaningful economic reforms and the regime’s growing ties with Russia. Ketakandriana Rafitoson, a Transparency International Madagascar board member, said the arrests raise “serious concerns around the respect for fundamental freedoms,” calling the pattern similar to those under the previous administration and a failed test for the new regime.
Madagascar, an Indian Ocean island of about 32 million people, is rich in biodiversity and natural resources — vanilla, rubies and sapphires among them — but has long struggled with coups, corruption and climate-driven disasters such as cyclones and droughts. In 2024 it ranked among the world’s poorest countries, with a GDP per capita of about $545, according to the World Bank.
The protests that helped propel last year’s change of power began in September after two councillors in the capital, Antananarivo, were arrested for demonstrating over water and electricity outages. Since the regime change those services have not materially improved, Elliot Randriamandrato, a leader of Gen Z Madagasikara, said. “For the moment, there’s no real reforms that have been implemented by the government. That’s maybe why everyone is so frustrated, because we don’t see anything clear and visible,” he added.
Randriamandrato said his group is more focused on a new constitution than on a specific election date. The president has said elections would be held within two years of his October takeover. Activists want clarity about the timing, methodology and conduct of constitutional consultations, arguing that those consultations will determine whether core issues — including electoral reform — are addressed. “It’s [currently] a system that only permits people with more money to win,” he said.
The presidency has linked some unrest to alleged threats and corruption investigations. Rahajason referenced a press conference in which authorities said they were probing alleged embezzlement of roughly 3,811bn ariary (around £679m) and suggested those inquiries were connected to threats against the president. He also showed video he said depicted drones flying above the president’s home on the night of 11 April and claimed there were plans to set the national parliament on fire.
The new regime’s security ties with Russia have alarmed some activists. Since Randrianirina visited Moscow in February, the presidency has displayed donations including military trucks, helicopters and tanks from Russia. Shely Andriamihaja of Gen Z Madagasikara said her group fears “the risk of new state capture from foreign countries,” while stressing she was not defending Madagascar’s former colonial power, France. Rahajason confirmed Russians are part of the presidential guard and, when asked about numbers or roles, responded defensively by comparing such arrangements to other countries’ use of foreign guards.
The arrests and the broader security and diplomatic moves have left many young activists questioning whether the regime that rose to power on Gen Z momentum will deliver the reforms and freedoms they sought, or instead replicate the patterns they rallied against.
