An assassination attempt on Madagascar's interim President Michael Randrianirina was thwarted by the timely intervention of presidential guards.
According to a statement from the presidential administration, two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) following Randrianirina's convoy were detected on Friday evening, July 3, in the Ivandry neighborhood of the capital Antananarivo. The UAVs are assessed to have been carrying explosives.
After the presidential guards opened fire on the UAVs, the vehicles gained altitude and left the area. Randrianirina was safely transported to his residence, while security measures in the area were heightened. Security forces launched an investigation to determine the origin of the UAVs.
Third assassination attempt
This incident marks the third publicly known assassination attempt against Randrianirina in recent months. On April 15, the presidential administration announced that five thermal imaging UAVs had been detected and neutralized over the presidential residence, and that there was an assassination threat against the president.
On April 3, 11 people, including Colonel Patrick Rakotomamonjy and several officers, were arrested in the capital Antananarivo on charges of plotting to assassinate the president, attempting a coup, forming a criminal organization, and illegal possession of weapons.
October 12 coup and interim administration
In Madagascar, protests that began in September 2025 to denounce prolonged electricity and water cuts turned into mass anti-government demonstrations. While the protests were ongoing, then-President Andri Rajoelina was reported to have left the country on a French plane, and on October 12, 2025, military units under the command of Colonel Michael Randrianirina announced they had seized power.
Randrianirina was sworn in as interim president before the Constitutional Court on October 17, 2025.
