President Andry Rajoelina of Madagascar has dissolved the government, led by Prime Minister Christian Ntsay. 

This drastic action follows days of massive, youth-led protests across the island nation, sparked by chronic shortages of water and electricity.

The protests, largely driven by the ‘Gen Z’ generation, highlight a deep frustration over deteriorating living conditions. For many citizens, life in the capital, Antananarivo, is dominated by uncertainty over basic utilities.

“We acknowledge and apologise if members of the government have not carried out the tasks assigned to them,” President Andry Rajoelina said in a televised national address on Monday.

The tipping point was the persistent failure to provide essential services like frequent and often prolonged interruptions to the public water supply, daily power cuts, sometimes lasting up to twelve hours, disrupting businesses, education and for many young people, the message was simple: they are fed up with merely surviving. 

Protest signs carried slogans like, “We want to live, not survive.”

What began as peaceful demonstrations quickly escalated into widespread unrest. Security forces responded with heavy tactics, including tear gas and rubber bullets, to disperse the large crowds.

Written by Erastus Omondi, TV47