Madagascar

An island nation in the Indian Ocean, Madagascar lies some distance off the southeastern coast of the African continent. After becoming independent from France in 1960, Madagascar struggled to maintain a stable democratic system with repeated periods of mass protest, regime collapse and transitional governments. The most recent of these, in 2009, saw a popular uprising develop into what has been widely described as a coup d’etat. Repression and attempts to restrict dissent during these periods of instability are a core problem with Madagascar's human rights record, but there are also persistent issues with child labour and corruption.