Groups of soldiers in Madagascar joined thousands of anti-government demonstrators in the capital Antananarivo on Saturday, in one of the largest protests since unrest began late last month.
The move came after the soldiers declared they would defy any orders to shoot at protesters, according to AFP reporters.
The demonstrations, led mainly by young people, have gripped the Indian Ocean nation since September 25.
The demos initially started over power and water shortages but have since grown into a broader movement against the government of President Andry Rajoelina.
Clashes broke out earlier in the day when police fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse crowds near Lake Anosy, a central protest site.
But when soldiers arrived, waving Madagascar flags as protesters cheered and chanted, “Thank you!” in a show of solidarity.
In a video shared on social media, soldiers stationed at a barracks in Soanierana district announced they would not take action against civilians.
“Let us join forces, military, gendarmes and police, and refuse to be paid to shoot our friends, our brothers and our sisters,” they said.
They urged troops elsewhere to disobey orders to open fire.
They also called on airport soldiers to prevent all aircraft from taking off and told others to close the gates and await instructions. It remains unclear how many soldiers had joined the rebellion.
Newly appointed Armed Forces Minister General Deramasinjaka Manantsoa Rakotoarivelo urged calm, saying the army remains a mediator and the nation’s last line of defence.
The protests have turned deadly, with the United Nations reporting at least 22 people killed since they began.
President Rajoelina, who disputes the death toll, has accused demonstrators of looting.
After initially dissolving his government, he appointed a military officer as prime minister and filled his new cabinet with security chiefs, declaring that Madagascar no longer needs disturbances.
The island nation, among the world’s poorest, has a history of political instability, with several uprisings since independence in 1960.