By Semafor Africa
Photos: YouTube Screenshots
A coup is under way in Madagascar, the country’s presidency says. President Andry Rajoelina has reportedly fled the country.
Madagascar has seen weeks of protests, initially spurred by shortages of water and power, but now encompassing deeper unhappiness over corruption, inflation, and high unemployment.
Demonstrators have gathered in the capital Antananarivo, and there are reports of shooting between police and the army.
The protests are led by a youth movement which uses symbols — including a pirate flag from popular Japanese manga One Piece, a stand-in for confronting oppression — associated with demonstrations in other countries, including Morocco, Nepal, and Peru.
Yet Madagascar has its own history of upheaval: The army has led several coups since the country’s independence from France in 1960, most recently in 2009.
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