The office of Madagascar's president says an attempt to seize power by force is underway in the island nation as more soldiers throw their support behind a youth-led protest movement.

Troops from the elite CAPSAT unit, which helped President Andry Rajoelina take power in a 2009, urged fellow soldiers to disobey orders on Saturday and back the demonstrators.

The protests, initially sparked by grassroots grievances, began on September 25 and now pose the most serious challenge to Mr Rajoelina's rule since his re-election in 2023.

CAPSAT officers said on Sunday that they had command over the country's security operations and would coordinate all branches of the military from their base on the outskirts of the capital, Antananarivo.

They said they had appointed General Demosthene Pikulas,

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