The arrest of several young activists in Madagascar has deepened anxieties among the country's Gen Z movement that the military government which seized power last year is repeating the authoritarian patterns of its predecessor. Four protesters — Herizo Andriamanantena, Miora Rakotomalala, Dina Randrianarisoa and Nomena Ratsihorimanana — were detained on 12 April, two days after joining a demonstration demanding that a date be set for national elections. They face charges of undermining state security and criminal conspiracy, accusations their lawyer, Aliarivelo Maromanana, has firmly rejected. "They've all denied it and there's no evidence whatsoever," he said. By Friday, three of the four had been released, though two required hospitalisation; the group's leader, Herizo, remained in detention. Two further activists were arrested on Wednesday night.

Col Michael Randrianirina came to power in a coup in October 2025, sweeping aside President Andry Rajoelina after weeks of youth-led protests under the banner Gen Z Madagascar. Madagascar, an Indian Ocean island nation of 32 million people, has endured repeated coups and chronic corruption since independence from France. It remains one of the world's poorest countries, recording a GDP per capita of just $545 in 2024, according to the World Bank. Many young people had celebrated Rajoelina's flight from the capital, Antananarivo, but disillusionment has set in quickly. Protesters say the new government has retained figures from the old elite, delivered no meaningful economic reforms, and has failed to fix persistent electricity and water shortages that sparked the original unrest.

The regime's growing closeness to Russia has added a further source of tension. Following Randrianirina's visit to Vladimir Putin in Moscow in February, Madagascar received donations of military trucks, helicopters and tanks. The president's spokesperson, Harry Laurent Rahajason, confirmed the presence of Russian personnel in the presidential guard, drawing a comparison to other heads of state who employ foreign security staff. The regime also cited alleged drone surveillance of the president's residence and a supposed plot to burn down parliament as justification for its security posture.

Civil society voices warn the crackdown marks a troubling turn. "It is a pattern we saw under the previous administration and one that many hoped would be broken with the transition," said Ketakandriana Rafitoson, a board member of Transparency International Madagascar, adding that the response to the protests had been "a test for this regime and they failed it." Gen Z activist Elliot Randriamandrato said the movement's priorities now centre on a new constitution and genuine electoral reform, describing the current system as one that "only permits people with more money to win."

The regime's spokesperson deflected questions about the arrests by invoking the separation of powers, saying the presidency had no involvement in police matters. But with Russian military influence expanding and reform promises stalling, Madagascar's Gen Z movement faces a sobering question: whether a change of government has produced any change at all.