In response to the planned construction of a freeway between Antananarivo and Toamasina, 107 civil society organisations (CSOs) in Madagascar issued a joint statement on 5 March 2025 demanding an environmental study before the project proceeds. The government countered with a communiqué asserting that necessary studies had already been conducted and criticising the CSOs’ stance. Attempts to publish the CSO statement in newspapers were blocked, with one outlet, owned by a government-linked businessman, refusing publication.
Following the statement’s release, CSOs leaders have reported facing surveillance, threats of arrest, and intimidation from authorities and the highway contractor. This has created a very tense situation between CSOs and the governments.