Fresh anti-government protests hit Madagascar

Thousands of protesters marched again in several cities across Madagascar on Thursday while the movement in the capital Antananarivo took a "strategic" break after a week of demonstrations.

The Indian Ocean island was awaiting the nomination of a new prime minister after President Andry Rajoelina dismissed his entire government on Monday in a bid to placate the near-daily protests, which started on September 25 over misgovernance and water and power cuts.

Calls for Rajoelina to resign intensified after a heavy crackdown and widespread looting in which at least 22 people were killed and hundreds injured, according to the UN -- a toll the government denies.

Thousands of mostly young people took to the streets Thursday in the large northern city of Antsiranana, an AFP team saw, carrying banners with the message "Rajoelina, piss off" ("Miala Rajoelina") and calling the President an "assassin".

Hundreds also protested in the southern coastal town of Toliara and in Mahajanga, in the north, according to local media.

For the first time since Sunday, the "Gen Z" movement leading the protests announced a "24-hour strategic withdrawal" in Antananarivo to preserve protesters' "health and strength".

In a statement, Amnesty International condemned the "unlawful and excessive force used by state security officials" and called for the authorities to "launch thorough and effective investigations" and release arrested protesters.

"Every death on the streets of Madagascar is a painful reminder that the right to peaceful protest is under violent attack," it said.

Earlier Thursday, six foreign embassies and the European Union delegation called in a joint statement for "all stakeholders to engage in constructive dialogue".

"We reaffirm our commitment to the rule of law and universal rights such as freedom of expression and peaceful assembly," the embassies of Germany, South Korea, France, Japan, Britain, Switzerland and the EU delegation said, a day after Rajoelina received representatives of the international community at the presidential palace.

Rajoelina, 51, first came to power in 2009 following a coup sparked by an uprising, which ousted former president Marc Ravalomanana.

After not contesting the 2013 election under international pressure, Rajoelina was voted back into office in 2018 and re-elected in 2023 in contested polls boycotted by the opposition.

On Wednesday, the opposition endorsed the movement through a rare joint statement, with opposition leader Siteny Randrianasoloniaiko and former president Ravalomanana among the signatories.

More than 200 local NGOs also called for an "immediate end to all forms of repression", while Pope Leo XIV said he was "saddened by the news coming from Madagascar".

Despite natural resources, the nation of 32 million people remains among the world's poorest countries with nearly 75 percent of its population living below the poverty line in 2022, according to the World Bank.

Corruption is widespread, with the country ranking 140th out of 180 in Transparency International's index.