Madagascar: Alarm in Madagascar Over Wave of Unresolved Child and Adolescent Disappearances and Killings

What the report says

AllAfrica, republishing a Fides News Agency report from Antananarivo dated July 22, reported mounting concern in Madagascar over unresolved disappearances and killings involving minors since the start of 2026. The cases have been concentrated in and around the capital, Antananarivo, particularly in the Analamanga Region.

According to police figures cited by Fides, 172 missing-child and adolescent reports were recorded in the first half of 2026. Analamanga accounted for 119 of those reports. Eight children were later found dead after violent killings; of the other 164 missing minors, 81 have been located and 83 remain unaccounted for. Police said some children still listed as missing may have gone back to their families without authorities being informed.

Authorities have responded by deploying joint security forces, including police, gendarmerie and military personnel, with operations continuing day and night and security tightened across Antananarivo. Fides reported that the disappearances are unfolding in a tense political environment after an October 2025 military coup. Colonel Michael Randrianirina, who declared himself President of the Refoundation, characterized the incidents as acts meant to destabilize the country and called for a missing-persons alert system involving Madagascar’s churches.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Madagascar also raised alarm in a July 13 statement signed by its vice president, Bishop Jean Pascal Andriantsoavina of Antsirabe. The bishops urged vigilance against disinformation and revenge, while pressing leaders to ensure investigations uncover the causes of the violence. Fides noted the conference had previously warned in May about insecurity, corruption, rising living costs, intimidation, arbitrary arrests and abuses of power.