Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina said Monday he has fled the country in fear for his life following a military rebellion.

Rajoelina has faced weeks of Gen Z-led anti-government protests, which reached a pivotal point on Saturday when an elite military unit joined the protests and called for the president and other government ministers to step down.

The anti-government protests began on Sept. 25 over chronic water and electricity outages but have snowballed into wider discontent with Rajoelina and his government.

It is the most significant unrest in the island nation of 31 million people off the east coast of Africa since Rajoelina himself first came to power as the leader of a transitional government following a 2009 military-backed coup.

The United Nations says the demonstrations left at least 22 people dead and dozens injured and criticized Madagascan authorities for a “violent response” to what were largely peaceful protests in the early days of the movement. The government has disputed the number of deaths.

The demonstrators have brought up a range of issues, including poverty and the cost of living, access to tertiary education, and alleged corruption and embezzlement of public funds by government officials, as well as their families and associates.

AP video produced by Taimoor Sobhan