Madagascar confronts surge in kidnappings and murders amid security crackdown

Madagascar is experiencing a wave of disappearances and violent murders, predominantly affecting children, adolescents and young adults. Media reports cite 90 reported child disappearances since the start of the year, with 47 still missing, and recent weeks have seen multiple bodies recovered, including a 12‑year‑old girl and a 19‑year‑old man found in a quarry. Police records show 172 complaints since January 2026, 164 concerning disappearances, eight victims found dead and 81 rescued; 83 cases remain unresolved, most concentrated in Antananarivo.

The government has responded with an extensive security deployment. Prime Minister Mamitiana Rajaonarison announced the mobilization of hundreds of soldiers, police and gendarmes for day‑and‑night patrols and called the situation a “war” against forces attempting to destabilise the nation’s "Refondation" process. President of the Refondation, Colonel Michaël Randrianirina, labeled the crimes “acts of terrorism” and pledged the creation of operational centers, community alert systems modeled on France’s "Alerte Enlèvement," and local vigilance committees funded by the state. Civil society groups demand concrete arrests and dismantling of criminal networks behind the kidnappings.