What to know about the Madagascar army colonel who was ‘in the shadows’ before launching a coup

A little-known army colonel became Madagascar’s president Friday after a rapid power grab that saw him sworn in as his country’s leader six days after launching a military coup.

Here’s what to know about Col. Michael Randrianirina, who seized power following weeks of large anti-government protests by mainly young people:

A former governor

He is from the southern region of Androy — one of Madagascar’s poorest — and he served as its governor between 2016 and 2018. Before that, he was the commander of an infantry battalion in the neighboring Atsimo-Andrefana region.

He has long been a vocal critic of Andry Rajoelina, the Madagascar president he ousted in a coup this week.

Arrested for attempted mutiny

Randrianirina was arrested in November 2023 — just before that year’s presidential election — and accused of planning a mutiny. He was sent to the notorious Tsiafahy Prison.

He has said that he spent around three months in detention, but most of it in a military hospital rather than the prison, which has a reputation for harsh conditions.

He was ultimately sentenced to a one-year suspended prison term for undermining state security and was released in early February 2024, after Rajoelina was reelected for a second term.

Operating ‘in the shadows’

Randrianirina said he was detained with another military officer and they retained their status as officers after being released. But Randrianirina said he had no command post to return to and so “I worked in my house, I cooked, I played soccer.”

He said the two were military officers working “in the shadows” at that time.

It’s not clear when he became the commander of the elite CAPSAT military unit that rebelled against Rajoelina and overthrew him.

New leader

Randrianirina made his move last Saturday when his soldiers rebelled and joined the anti-government demonstrations, and he called for Rajoelina’s resignation.

His appearance riding on an armored car among the protesters and accompanying them to a main square to demonstrate meant he emerged as the leader of the uprising, which before that time had no visible figure in charge.

Randrianirina’s military coup has been condemned by the United Nations and by the African Union, which suspended Madagascar’s membership.

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