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When did France annex Madagascar as a colony?
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France formally annexed Madagascar as a colony on August 6, 1896, when the French parliament voted for the annexation of the island.1
Prior to this, France had established a protectorate over the island following the first Franco-Merina War and subsequent treaties. Following the 1896 annexation, General Joseph-Simon Gallieni was appointed to oversee the transition, which included suppressing local resistance, abolishing slavery, and exiling the queen in 1897.21