Madagascar soldiers take control of the country’s security forces

The military has taken over in Madagascar after weeks of protests calling for the President to immediately resign. The country's President has fled according to the reports. Madagascar has seen months of power and water cuts, declining economy and poor leadership. Earler reports said, a military unit in Madagascar says it is taking control of the country’s security forces as President Andry Rajoelina alleged an “attempt to seize power illegally” was under way. The CAPSAT contingent, based in the Soanierana district on the outskirts of the capital, Antananarivo, joined thousands of antigovernment demonstrators on Saturday, calling on security forces to “refuse orders to shoot” and condemning police action taken to quell more than two weeks of youth-led protests that have rocked the Indian Ocean island.The demonstration in the capital, Antananarivo, was one of the largest since the protest movement erupted on September 25, sparked by anger over power and water shortages.In a video statement on Saturday, troops from the Army Personnel Administration Center (CAPSAT), a military unit instrumental in Rajoelina's rise to power through a 2009 coup, declared its support for the anti-government protests that began last month. “This country is facing a collapse of basic services, security forces must not follow blindly unlawful orders,” they said.Protests against Rajoelina's administration have been ongoing for three weeks, led by "Gen Z" protesters in what started as a concern about water and electricity shortages, turning into calls for Rajoelina to resign.