Madagascar's embattled president Rajoelina's allies flee to Mauritius

Madagascar's embattled President Andry Rajoelina is facing the threat of impeachment for "abandonment of post".

Reports say he has fled the country after a powerful military unit backed protesters demanding his resignation.

Christian Ntsay, Rajoelina's former prime minister, and Maminiaina Ravatomanga, a businessman close to Rajoelina, flew to Mauritius "urgently" early on Sunday, the Mauritian government has said.

In a statement, it denied interfering in Madagascar's affairs, adding it was "not satisfied" with how the plane was authorised to land in the country.

President Rajoelina had sacked Ntsay in a failed attempt to placate demonstrators angry about chronic water and power cuts, corruption, and the high cost of living.

Meanwhile, protesters had called for Ravatomanga to be investigated - they view him as a symbol of the political and economic elite that has prospered at the expense of ordinary citizens.

Rajoelina is due to address the nation later, though it is unclear from where.

He said in a statement on Sunday that an attempt to seize power illegally was under way.

Madagascar’s Defence Minister Manantsoa Deramasinjaka Rakotoarivelo may be the most powerful figure in the country at the moment.

After dissolving his government, President Andry Rajoelina appointed an army general as his new prime minister and later filled in only three cabinet posts - Defence, Gendarmerie, and Public Security, placing the military at the centre of political control.

Today, as commanders of different branches of the armed forces convened to defuse internal tensions and discuss ways to strengthen cooperation, the defence minister was in attendance. The new prime minister was not seen.

These talks position the defence minister as a central power-broker, with reports surfacing that the military is holding closed-door meetings with key political leaders, including from the opposition, as well as civil society and religious leaders, in a bid to shape the country's future.

At least 22 people have been killed since the protests began more than two weeks ago, according to UN figures.

Among them was Razanasoa Edmondine's new-born grandson.

The one-month-old baby had been to the market with his mother when police turned up and fired tear gas at protesters. They fled into a nearby building which police then fired more tear gas canisters into - quickly filling it with choking smoke.

"The baby was trying to cry but no sound came out," his grandmother tells the BBC.

"It was like something was blocking his chest. The doctor told us he had inhaled too much smoke. A couple of days later, he passed away."