The guest list for Friday’s Independence Day military parade includes several African heads of state. The President of Comoros has confirmed his attendance, and there is a strong likelihood that the Presidents of Kenya and Gabon will follow suit.
A surprise move by the leadership: this information had not been released in any official communications regarding the independence festivities. As the climax of the celebrations approaches, a leak has revealed that foreign heads of state, particularly from African nations, are among the distinguished guests for the military parade to be held on June 26 at the Barea Stadium in Mahamasina.
“The heads of state whom the President of the Republic’s Refoundation met during his official or working visits have been invited to the military parade,” a well-informed source indicated. Other sources within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of the Armed Forces have confirmed the report. Since taking power in October 2025, Colonel Michaël Randrianirina, Head of State, has made several trips across the African continent.
South Africa was the first African country the Iavoloha resident visited for a working trip in January, where he was received by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is also the current Chair of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). He then paid an official visit to Equatorial Guinea in March, where the senior officer was received by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.
In recent weeks, Colonel Randrianirina’s trips to African countries have intensified. In May, he took part in the Africa Forward Summit in Kenya, where he met his Kenyan counterpart, William Ruto. Shortly after, he headed to the Republic of the Congo for an official visit, where he was received by President Denis Sassou N’Guesso. In June, he made consecutive trips to Gabon for a working visit and to Nigeria for an official visit.
During these last two trips, the Iavoloha resident was received by his Gabonese counterpart, General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, and Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. In addition to the countries visited by Colonel Randrianirina, heads of state and government from the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) member islands are also reportedly invited to attend Friday’s military parade.
The Organizing Committee for the Independence Festivities had expected to welcome “seven presidents.”
Legitimacy and Recognition
A source noted, however, that “as of now, the presence of the invited heads of state is pending confirmation. Nevertheless, advance teams for three presidents—those of Kenya, Gabon, and Comoros—are already within our walls.” According to information published by the Comorian press, Azali Assoumani, President of the Union of the Comoros, is expected to be present at Barea Stadium on Friday.
According to the news site Comores Infos, this visit to Madagascar by President Azali Assoumani to attend the June 26 military parade is “far more than a simple protocol presence”; the head of state’s travel appears as “a strong political gesture in a context where relations between Moroni and Antananarivo have experienced periods of tension in recent years.”
Signals from Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, and Libreville, the capital of Gabon, are also reportedly encouraging regarding the attendance of Presidents Ruto and Oligui Nguema in Antananarivo for the military parade, which will mark the peak of the celebrations for Madagascar’s 66 years of independence. This is the first national day under the leadership of the Republic’s Refoundation, and they clearly aim to make a mark by inviting prestigious guests.
To a certain extent, the presence of African heads of state at the military ceremony in Mahamasina will also serve as a way to assert the legitimacy and recognition of the Refoundation government, as Madagascar has been suspended from African Union (AU) activities since the military took power in October 2025. Restoring their standing within the continental organization is one of the diplomatic goals of those in power.
Beyond strengthening bilateral relations, lobbying for the lifting of sanctions imposed by the AU on the Great Island is one of the objectives of these presidential roadshows in Africa. Furthermore, regarding invitations for Friday’s military parade, the question of whether an invitation was extended to the Russian and French presidents, whom Colonel Randrianirina met sequentially in February, remains unanswered.
Captured & Published at: 2026-06-24 06:00:03 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/06/defile-militaire-plusieurs-chefs-detat.html