Madagascar High Court upholds law to reclaim colonial-era land

Madagascar’s High Constitutional Court has upheld Law No. 2026-007, a piece of legislation designed to reclaim land titles that remain registered under foreign names from the colonial era. The court’s decision, issued on August 3, 2026, validates the law as a means of completing land decolonization and restoring rights to the Malagasy people.

The law establishes June 26, 1960—the date of Madagascar’s independence—as the critical cutoff. Any land that was still registered to a foreign entity on that date and has not since been transferred to a Malagasy citizen will automatically become state property. The court framed the measure as a way to ensure sovereign control over strategic assets and to finalize the de facto transfer of colonial-era holdings.

Several exceptions apply to the new law. It does not affect properties used by foreign diplomatic or consular missions, land that was transferred to Malagasy owners prior to independence, or land held by individuals who later acquired Malagasy citizenship. Following the ruling, the government is expected to begin a census and inventory of the affected land parcels.