Who is the new warlord of Madagascar?

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Before last weekend, if you had asked Col Michael Randriarina on the island of Madagascar, you would have had many blank looks.

In just three days, however, he has become the most powerful man in the country.

Randrianirina suddenly started on Saturday, just as the head of the ELite Army of Madagascar, entered the center of the capital, to join thousands of protesters.

After Andriaelina and Rajoelina fled the country and MPs voted to pardon him, 51-year-old Randinirina stood in front of an empty palace and informed the country’s media that CAPSAT was taking over.

The Constitutional Court then declared that he is the new ruler of the country, although the ousted President still insists that he remains in power.

Randrianirina carries an unusual air of mystery – for the leader of the most powerful military unit in the country, not much is known about him in the public domain.

What we do know is that he was born in Sevoipoto, a town in the South AndAley division.

He later became the governor of Androy, serving between 2016 and 2018 under former President Hery Rajaonarimanina.

After that, Randriarina became the Head of the Battery Battalion in the city of Toliara, a position he held until 2022.

He was a vocal critic of Rajoelina, a businessman who took power in a coup in 2009, then returned five years later after winning the election.

Randrianirina was sentenced to a maximum security prison without trial in November 2023, accused of reviving the mutiny and planning to join.

Student groups, military alike and politicians were among those who opposed Randriarina who was imprisoned for politically incorrect reasons, and was released in February the following year.

Just moments before announcing he was taking over Madagascar on Tuesday, Randriarina told the BBC he was just a “servant” of the people. She exuded elegance, hospitality, confidence – but not arrogance.

The Colonel is also known as a staunch Christian. Magalasy reporter Rivonala Razafison describes her as “simple but tough”, “direct” and “passionate”.

Randrianirina certainly has thoughts about her country and how it has been influenced by France, which was the colonial king of Madagascar until 1960.

When given the option to answer the BBC’s questions in French, the official language in Madagascar, Randriarina dismissed them: “Why don’t I speak my language, in Malagasy?” adding that he does not like to glorify the colonial language.

The Capsat leader told local media that, moving forward, the most important thing is “social well-being” – a pressing issue in a country where about 75% of the population lives below the poverty line.

He said the military will rule for two years with the country’s government before elections.

Sources have told REARDERS that Randriarina will be sworn in in the next day or two – a ceremony that will serve as a coda to the whirlwind few days that took him to Officer Everyone is talking about him.