The guest list for the military parade at Friday's national celebration includes African heads of state. The president of Comoros has confirmed his attendance, with strong indications that the presidents of Kenya and Gabon will also attend.

A handshake between Colonel Michaël Randrianirina and Kenya's President William Ruto in May.

The surprise announcement. This information had not appeared in any official communications regarding independence celebration preparations. As the festivities approach their climax, sources reveal that foreign heads of state, particularly from African nations, are on the guest list for the military parade scheduled for June 26 at Barea Stadium in Mahamasina.

"The heads of state whom the president of the Refoundation of the Republic met during his official or working visits are invited to the military parade," an informed source states. Other sources from the Foreign Affairs and Armed Forces ministries confirm this information. 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 visited by the occupant of Iavoloha for a working visit in January. He was received by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, also serving president of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). He subsequently made an official visit to Equatorial Guinea in March, where the senior officer was received by Equatorial Guinean President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.

In recent weeks, Colonel Randrianirina's travels across African countries have accelerated. In May, he attended the Africa Forward Summit in Kenya, where he met his Kenyan counterpart William Ruto. Subsequently, he traveled to the Republic of Congo for an official visit, where he was received by President Denis Sassou N'Guesso. In June, he successively visited Gabon for a working visit and Nigeria for an official visit.

During these last two trips, the occupant of Iavoloha was received by his Gabonese counterpart, General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, and Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Beyond the countries Colonel Randrianirina visited, heads of state and government from islands within the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) are also reportedly invited to attend Friday's military parade.

The independence celebration organizing committee expected to welcome "seven presidents."

Legitimacy and Recognition

A source indicates, however, that "so far, the presence of invited heads of state awaits confirmation. The advance teams of three presidents—those of Kenya, Gabon, and Comoros—are already here." According to information published by Comorian press, Azali Assoumani, president of the Union of Comoros, should indeed be present at Barea Stadium on Friday.

According to news site Comores Infos, President Azali Assoumani's trip to Madagascar to attend the June 26 military parade is "far beyond mere protocol"; this visit appears as "a strong political gesture in a context where relations between Moroni and Antananarivo have experienced tensions in recent years."

Signals from Nairobi, Kenya's capital, and Libreville, Gabon's capital, are also encouraging regarding the presence of Presidents Ruto and Oligui Nguema in Antananarivo for the military parade, which will be the highlight of Madagascar's 66th independence anniversary celebrations. This is the first national celebration under the Refoundation of the Republic. These leaders apparently want to make a strong statement by inviting prestigious guests.

To some extent, the presence of African heads of state at the military ceremony in Mahamasina will also serve to affirm the legitimacy and recognition of the Refoundation's power, as Madagascar has been suspended from African Union (AU) activities since the military takeover in October 2025. Returning to favor within this continental organization is one of the diplomatic objectives of those in power.

Beyond strengthening bilateral relations, lobbying for the lifting of AU sanctions against the island nation is one objective of the presidential road-shows across Africa. Regarding invitations for Friday's military parade, the question of whether Russian and French presidents, whom Colonel Randrianirina met successively in February, were invited remains unanswered.

Garry Fabrice Ranaivoson