Malagasy President Andry Rajoelina ruled out resignation on Monday evening, calling for "respect for the Constitution," in his first speech from an unknown location after the military joined the protests rocking the country this weekend.

During this live broadcast on social media but not on Malagasy public television, Mr. Rajoelina said he was in a "safe place" after an "attempted murder," without giving further details on his location.

Is he still in the country, or has he gone abroad, as French radio RFI reported on Monday? This uncertainty is fueling confusion on this impoverished Indian Ocean island, where new scenes of joy took place Monday in the capital Antananarivo between soldiers and thousands of protesters calling for his departure.

"There is only one way to resolve these problems, and that is to respect the country's current constitution," the 51-year-old president said, effectively rejecting calls for the resignation of the protest movement that began on September 25.

Elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2023 for a five-year term in a vote boycotted by the opposition, Mr. Rajoelina was unable to have his speech broadcast by public television TVM after the arrival of a "group of armed soldiers" at the channel's headquarters.

According to RFI, he boarded a French military plane for Reunion Island on Sunday, before leaving for another destination with his family. "I am not confirming anything today," French President Emmanuel Macron responded from Egypt, expressing his "great concern" for Madagascar.

Sentence reductions were granted Monday by presidential decree to a series of individuals, including Franco-Malagasy Paul Maillot Rafanoharana, imprisoned since 2021 for attempted coup d'état, a point of tension between the two countries.

This weekend, a military unit, Capsat, which played a major role in the 2009 coup that brought Mr. Rajoelina to power, following a popular mobilization, called on security forces to "refuse to shoot" at the demonstrators, before joining them in the center of the capital.

- "No more dinosaurs" -

"It's really strange, given that we were used to always being chased and bombarded with tear gas," Finaritra Manitra Andrianamelasoa, 24, told AFP. The law student was among the thousands of protesters who gathered in the May 13th Square on Monday in a festive atmosphere.

Marching to the rhythm of a brass band, the procession swelled as it approached this symbolic site of Malagasy political history, named in homage to those killed in a popular uprising in 1972 that led to the departure of the first president.

"At the very beginning, what we were asking for was electricity and freedom of expression, but we are now waiting for his resignation," said Steven Mandimbiarivong Rasolonjanahary, 19, another law student.

"We're waiting for his resignation, but knowing him, I don't think he'll say that," predicted Rotsinasandratra Lucas Hantamalala, a 20-year-old student. "No more political dinosaurs, please, we've seen enough," she urged.

Soldiers escorted thousands of protesters into the city center of the Malagasy capital on Saturday, joining them again on Sunday for a rally in tribute to those killed during more than two weeks of demonstrations.

- Departure of the President of the Senate -

The protest movement, which initially denounced the incessant water and electricity cuts, has since evolved into a broader protest against President Rajoelina and his clan.

The African Union Security Council "categorically rejects any attempt at unconstitutional change of government in the country," it warned Monday in a statement that "urges all units of the Malagasy armed forces to refrain from any interference in political affairs."

This weekend, protesters obtained the departure of the discredited Senate President Richard Ravalomanana, a former gendarmerie commander.

Nicknamed "General Bomba" for his liberal use of tear gas during the 2009 crisis, Richard Ravalomanana was accused by protesters of being one of the main players in the repression of demonstrations in recent weeks.

As for the third man vilified by the street, the businessman and close friend of the head of state Maminiaina Ravatomanga, he fled Sunday morning to the neighboring island of Mauritius, as confirmed by the Mauritian government.

At least 22 people were killed at the start of the protests and more than 100 injured, according to a United Nations report.

Madagascar, an island with a very poor population, has a long history of popular uprisings followed by the establishment of transitional military governments.

At least 80% of Madagascar's 32 million people live on less than 15,000 ariary per day (2.80 euros), the World Bank's poverty line.