A mutinied army unit in Madagascar has declared that it took control of all military forces, as President Andry Rajoelina described the situation as an “attempt to seize power illegally”.

An army unit known as CAPSAT joined thousands of protesters in the city in a major shift in a more than two-week anti-government youth-led protest movement.

CAPSAT said it had taken over the leadership of the military command and was now in control of all the armed forces – land, air, and naval. Soldiers from the unit clashed with gendarmes and later joined demonstrators calling for Rajoelina’s resignation. The president released a statement saying “an attempt to seize power illegally and by force, contrary to the Constitution and to democratic principles, is currently underway”.

Officers of the gendarmerie, accused of violence against protesters, released a video statement admitting “faults and excesses during our interventions” and calling for “fraternity” between the army and the gendarmes. The protests, sparked by power and water shortages, erupted on 25 September, leaving at least 22 people dead.