Following a summit held by videoconference on the evening of Monday, June 29, the Southern African Development Community issued a statement calling for "the release of political prisoners," "an end to the arbitrary arrests of opposition leaders and members of Generation Z," and the return of "political exiles" to the country.

While it had hitherto been conciliatory towards the Malagasy transitional authorities by not suspending the Big Island from its bodies despite the military takeover in the country last October - unlike the African Union - the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has decided to raise its voice against Madagascar.

Nearly nine months after the fall of Andry Rajoelina, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa chaired an extraordinary summit of the regional organization dedicated to the political situation in the country on Monday, June 29. Held via videoconference, the meeting resulted in a final communiqué calling for "the release of political prisoners" and "an end to the arbitrary arrests of opposition leaders and members of Generation Z."

This appeal comes as in Madagascar, at least twenty people close to the former regime are being prosecuted and three Gen Z leaders have been charged with "undermining state security" after calling for a peaceful march in mid-April.

The SADC summit, held in the presence of Malagasy President Michael Randrianirina, also called for the return of political exiles and reiterated the call for inclusive dialogue in the country. The resulting communiqué emphasized "the importance of preserving the rule of law and democratic governance" and recalled "that reforms are expected to restore constitutional order and lead to the establishment of a democratically elected government that respects the will of the Malagasy people."

This summit was based on the results of a series of three assessment missions on the political situation in Madagascar carried out by SADC between October 2025 and May 2026.