Thousands of protesters against Madagascar\u2019s president were joined on the streets of the capital on Saturday afternoon by soldiers from an elite army unit, who earlier in the day said they would not fire on demonstrators.<\/p>\n
Protesters marched alongside soldiers from the Capsat unit, who drove armoured vehicles, some waving Madagascar flags, from their base in Soanierana in the south of Antananarivo.<\/p>\n
A Capsat leader, Lylison Ren\u00e9 de Rolland, then addressed the cheering crowds in front of the city hall in 13 May Square, which protesters had previously been prevented from reaching. Capsat soldiers brought the current president, Andry Rajoelina, to power in a coup in 2009<\/a>.<\/p>\n The soldiers\u2019 intervention ratcheted up pressure on Rajoelina, who demonstrators have been demanding stand down. The youth-led protests broke out on 25 September<\/a>, initially over water and electricity cuts. However, they quickly widened into calls for a complete overhaul of the political system, with the gen Z protesters not placated by Rajoelina firing his government<\/a> last week.<\/p>\n Earlier in the day, police fired stun grenades and teargas to try to disperse the protesters. The recently appointed minister of the armed forces also called on troops to \u201cremain calm\u201d, at a press conference on Saturday.<\/p>\n \u201cWe call on our brothers who disagree with us to prioritise dialogue,\u201d minister general Deramasinjaka Manantsoa Rakotoarivelo said. \u201cThe Malagasy army remains a mediator and constitutes the nation\u2019s last line of defence.\u201d<\/p>\n However, a Capsat leader accompanied by a large group of soldiers called on other military units to \u201crefuse orders to shoot your friends\u201d, in a video that was posted on social media before they left their barracks.<\/p>\n \u201cLet us join forces, military, gendarmes and police, and refuse to be paid to shoot our friends, our brothers and our sisters,\u201d he said, also calling on soldiers at the airport to \u201cprevent all aircraft from taking off\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cClose the gates and await our instructions,\u201d he said. \u201cDo not obey orders from your superiors. Point your weapons at those who order you to fire on your comrades-in-arms, because they will not take care of our families if we die.\u201d<\/p>\n