Madagascar is the latest of several former French colonies to have fallen under military control since 2020, after coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Gabon and Guinea. It is the third military transition in Madagascar since independence from France in 1960, following coups in 1972 and in 2009.

After leaving his country with French assistance, Andry Rajoelina appeared for the first time since the military mutinied and refused to step down.

The announcement came just after Madagascar's national assembly voted to impeach President Andry Rajoelina, who has fled the country to an unknown location after weeks of protests…