Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
RFI
Antananarivo (Agenzia Fides) – Looting and destruction in the capital, fires, school closures, and curfews – this is the scenario that has shaken one of the world's poorest countries, where over 75% of the population lives below the poverty line, since Thursday, September 25.
Calling "We want water, we want electricity," protesters took to the streets, defying a previous police ban. The protests escalated into violent clashes with law enforcement, prompting the authorities to impose a nighttime curfew. The protesters criticized the government and demanded the restoration of reliable water and electricity supplies throughout the country. A local press release stated that new protests are expected, with fears that these could lead to further violence and looting.
In a statement issued Friday, September 26, members of the Council of Christian Churches in Madagascar (FFKM), representing Catholic, Anglican, Reformed Protestant, and Lutheran leaders, expressed their solidarity with the families who, they said, "lost their loved ones," as well as with those "injured and those whose property was destroyed, whose livelihoods and jobs were lost due to looting and arson in many places, including the Malagasy Bible Society." They also called on the country's citizens to end "the bloodshed, hostilities, destruction of infrastructure, and looting in its various forms," as well as "verbal provocations and hostile acts."
In a statement broadcast by Radio France Internationale, members of the Council of Churches called on citizens to "draw closer together, forgive one another, and move toward peace and dialogue in order to find urgent and lasting solutions that lead to harmony and development, so that the entire population can enjoy their fundamental rights such as electricity, water, peace, work, order, and security."
Meanwhile, the day after the demonstrations, President Andry Rajoelina, who was re-elected in 2023 amid allegations of electoral fraud and boycotts and remains highly controversial in part of the country, promised rapid reforms, assistance for victims of looting, and direct dialogue with the youth of the so-called "Gen Z," the protagonists of the protest movement. (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 29/9/2025)
