Madagascar's newly appointed prime minister, General Ruphin Fortunat Zafisambo, condemned on Friday what he said was "excessive use of force" by both security personnel and protesters, after three weeks of anti-government demonstrations around the island nation.

Protesters have blocked roads with rocks and in some cases hurled stones at security forces who have responded with rounds of teargas.

The demonstrations were initially sparked by water and electricity shortages but later expanded to include calls for President Andry Rajoelina to step down, apologise to the nation and dissolve the senate and election commission.

The United Nations says at least 22 people were killed and more than 100 injured in the initial days of the protests - figures the government has rejected. Rajoelina put the number of those killed at 12 and said they were mostly looters.

UN speaks out

On Friday, hundreds of protesters took to the streets in the capital Antananarivo again calling for Rajoelina to go.

Also on Friday, the United Nations Office on Human Rights urged security forces to refrain from using unnecessary force against demonstrators.

"We’re receiving troubling reports of continued violence against protesters by the gendarmerie, particularly in #Antananarivo," it said on its X account.

Rajoelina appointed Zafisambo and a new defence and security minister after dissolving the previous government last week.

One-year promise

On Wednesday, he told a meeting in his office he was ready to resign if he failed to fix Madagascar's power problems within a year.

The unrest comes at a vulnerable time for Madagascar's export-reliant economy. While the country is best known for producing most of the world’s vanilla, other exports including nickel, cobalt, textiles and shrimp are also vital to foreign earnings and employment.

Protesters’ call for a nationwide strike on Thursday went largely unheeded.