Report: Madagascar's President Flees Country

Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina left the country after an elite military unit turned against the government in an apparent coup that followed weeks of youth-led protests, an opposition lawmaker in the Indian Ocean country said Monday. The lawmaker's comments came shortly before Rajoelina was due to appear on national television and radio to make a speech to the people of Madagascar, the AP reports. The president's office said his speech was scheduled to be broadcast at 7pm local time, noon Eastern, but was delayed after a group of soldiers attempted to take over the state broadcaster.

Gaëlle Borgia, France24's Madagascar correspondent, says a helicopter took Rajoelina from the presidential palace to an island off Madagascar's east coast, where a French military aircraft was waiting for him. "No one saw the president board the military aircraft, and thanks to the French army, he was able to reach the island of Réunion," she says. Borgia says another plane then took Rajoelina to Dubai. Madagascar is a former French colony. Rajoelina reportedly has French citizenship, a source of discontent among Madagascans.

The anti-government protests, which were initially led by Gen-Z demonstrators, began on Sept. 25 but reached a turning point on Saturday when soldiers from the elite CAPSAT military unit accompanied protesters to a square in the capital, Antananarivo, and called for Rajoelina and several government ministers to step down. The unit, which helped Rajoelina first come to power as transitional leader in a military-backed coup in 2009, said that it had taken charge of all the armed forces in Madagascar. Siteny Randrianasoloniaiko, the leader of the opposition in parliament, said that Rajoelina "ran away" from the country after soldiers turned against him.

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The US Embassy in Madagascar advised American citizens to shelter in place because of a "highly volatile and unpredictable" situation. The African Union urged all parties, "both civilian and military, to exercise calm and restraint."