Madagascar’s Gen Z protests suppressed by post-coup militarisation: systemic repression of dissent amid neocolonial resource control
Original framing: “Madagascar: Immediately end repression of Gen Z activists and protect right to protest” — Amnesty International
The role of French and Chinese neocolonialism in propping up the coup regime for access to critical minerals; historical resistance movements like the 1947 Malagasy Uprising; indigenous land tenure systems (e.g., *dina* communal governance) that conflict with mining concessions; the erasure of Malagasy feminist and youth-led organising that predates Gen Z activism; and the IMF’s structural adjustment programs that dismantled social safety nets, fueling protest.
High structural omission detected in mainstream coverage.
The narrative is produced by Amnesty International, an NGO embedded in Western human rights discourse, which frames repression through liberal democratic ideals while avoiding critique of neocolonial economic structures. The framing serves to legitimise Western interventionist narratives (e.g., 'protecting democracy') while obscuring how Western corporations and governments benefit from Madagascar’s resource extraction. Local civil society groups critical of mining projects are sidelined in favour of international advocacy, reinforcing a saviour complex.
The 2025 coup follows a pattern of military interventions in Madagascar since independence (1960), often tied to resource control: the 1972 coup ended French neocolonial rule, while the 2009 coup facilitated Rio Tinto’s ilmenite mining in Fort-Dauphin. Gen Z protests echo the 1947 Malagasy Uprising, where youth and peasants united against French rule—only to be massacred with Western support. Structural adjustment loans in the 1980s-90s dismantled state institutions, creating the conditions for today’s militarised governance.
Madagascar’s Gen Z repression is not an isolated authoritarian act but a symptom of a 70-year neocolonial cycle where foreign powers and elites prioritise resource extraction over democracy, from the 1947 French massacre to Rio Tinto’s 2009 coup-enabling deals.