The continental body has restated its "zero tolerance" for unconstitutional changes of government after soldiers ousted the country's president

The African Union (AU) has suspended Madagascar's membership after the army deposed the Indian Ocean nation's president, Andry Rajoelina, amid unrest that forced him to flee to a "safe location."

The decision on Wednesday came hours after the leader of the military takeover, Colonel Michael Randrianirina, said he would be sworn in as president "soon." The army officer, who commands the elite CAPSAT unit, has declared that he will oversee a transition "to restore stability" after weeks of violent protests and growing splits within the security forces.

In a statement issued after a meeting of its Peace and Security Council, the AU said it "strongly condemns the seizure of power by the military on 14 October 2025" and "totally rejects the unconstitutional change of government."

The continental body decided to "immediately suspend... Madagascar from participation in all activities of the union, its organs and institutions, until constitutional order is restored in the country."

Protests over rising costs and chronic power cuts gripped Madagascar for weeks before army units sided with demonstrators, denouncing alleged repression. Rajoelina left the country at the weekend, citing threats to his life after troops surrounded the presidential palace. Lawmakers impeached him on Tuesday, and the military declared control. He had tried to dissolve parliament as demands for his removal intensified.

READ MORE: UN warns against illegal change of power in Madagascar

The High Constitutional Court subsequently invited Col. Randrianirina to serve as head of state, citing a "vacuum" created by the president's departure.

The new military leadership has reportedly suspended key institutions, leaving the National Assembly as the only functioning institution.

Madagascar now joins five other African countries - Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Sudan - under AU suspension following coups.

On Wednesday, the AU reiterated its "zero tolerance of unconstitutional changes of government" and reaffirmed its "respect for the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity" of Madagascar.

The Southern African Development Community has also condemned the coup as "a grave threat to peace, stability and democratic order" and has pledged to send a fact-finding mission to help "create conditions for an inclusive dialogue and a swift return to constitutional order" in the former French colony.