Demosthène Pikulas is a Malagasy military officer born on April 12, 1970, in Maintirano, Melaky Region, Madagascar. He is a member of the Sakalava ethnic group and completed his primary education in Maintirano, earning his certificate of primary and elementary studies in 1981. He continued his secondary education at the CEG of Maintirano, obtaining his first-cycle studies diploma in 1985, and later graduated from the SEMIPI in Fianarantsoa with a baccalaureate in science in 1988. Pikulas entered the military through the Antsirabe Military Academy in 1989, graduating in 1992. His military career included a practical training stage at the 1st Regiment of Transitions and Service of Fiadanana in 1993, a certificate of improvement for junior officers (1998–1999), a staff officer diploma from the Staff School of the same regiment in 2006, and a peacekeeping school certificate in 2011. He is also a certified paratrooper, having completed airborne training in 1991. Pikulas rose to national prominence in October 2025 when he was appointed Chief of the General Staff of the Malagasy Armed Forces. This appointment followed a mutiny by the CAPSAT unit, which had joined demonstrators demanding the resignation of President Andry Rajoelina. Pikulas was selected by the mutinying unit and officially installed during a ceremony at army headquarters, attended by the Minister of Armed Forces, Manantsoa Deramasinjaka Rakotoarivelo, who publicly endorsed the appointment. As of late 2025, Pikulas holds a central role in Madagascar’s military leadership amid a period of political instability. His appointment marks a significant development in the country’s recent military and political landscape, reflecting both his career achievements and the current challenges facing Madagascar’s armed forces.