Madagascar general gets 10 years over protest crackdown

A Madagascar court sentenced former gendarmerie general Richard Ravalomanana to 10 years of hard labour over a crackdown on protests last year, local media reported on Tuesday.

Ravalomanana was a former top security official and a key figure under ousted president Andry Rajoelina, who fled Madagascar during protests in September and October 2025.

Ravalomanana's lawyer, Lazatiana Razafimamonjy, told reporters outside court in the capital that the charges upheld against his client were complicity in murder and complicity in intentional assault and battery. He said they intend to appeal.

The United Nations said at least 22 people were killed in the first days of the protests. The office of UN rights chief Volker Turk has said some victims were protesters or bystanders killed by police or other security forces, while others were killed in violence sparked by criminal gangs and looters separate from the protesters.

The demonstrations, led mostly by young people, began over chronic power and water cuts and grew into a broader anti-government movement demanding Rajoelina's resignation.

Ravalomanana had been held in pre-trial detention since January 18. Army Colonel Michael Randrianirina has led Madagascar since October 2025, after Rajoelina fled. A transition roadmap has promised a new constitution and a presidential election by the end of 2027.