Controversial security cooperation between France and Togo slows down
Demonstrations took place in the capital on June 5 and 6, and again on June 26, 27 and 28. Law enforcement harshly suppressed the protests. The outcome: Seven people were killed, according to civil society organizations, while the government acknowledged five deaths − "by drowning."
In Paris, the political opposition – along with some officials who spoke anonymously – expressed outrage at the repression carried out by Togolese authorities, who had previously shed blood during earlier protest movements in 2005 and 2017. After having been the main ally of former president Gnassingbé Eyadéma, a prominent figure in the Françafrique network who ruled Togo from 1967 to 2005, France has remained an important partner for his son, Faure Gnassingbé. In 2011, the two countries notably signed a defense partnership agreement, which remains in force.
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AFP
7 days ago
- AFP
Video shows protest in Kenya, not a demonstration against Togolese president
'This is Togo right now. Citizens protesting as the Togolese President Faure changes the constitution to make him president for life, where citizens will no longer participate in voting for the president,' reads the caption of a Facebook video shared more than 690 times since it was published on June 28, 2025. The video attached to the post shows a crowd marching on a highway with loud noises in the background and smoke rising from items burning on the road. Image Screenshot of the false Facebook post, taken on July 16, 2025 The video has also appeared elsewhere in posts shared on Instagram and a Facebook account belonging to a media organisation in Nigeria. AFP Fact Check has previously debunked the claim in French. In June, several protests, which were violently repressed by the police, shook the streets of Lome, the Togolese capital, resulting in the deaths of at least seven people (archived here). Citizens protested the arrest of government critics, rising electricity prices and constitutional reform that moved the country to a parliamentary system of government where President Faure Gnassingbe occupies the highest office (archived here). The opposition argues that the reform will allow the president to remain in power indefinitely. Swahili audio Some comments under the post talk about the need for a change in Africa's leadership structure, a sign that people believe the claim. However, others mention that the video was filmed in Kenya, not Togo. An AFP fact-checker based in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, confirmed that some of the words heard in the video were in Swahili, a language spoken in East and Central African countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Unlike English and French, Swahili is hardly spoken in West Africa, where Togo is located. For example, the words 'wana retaliate' are heard in the 16th second of the video. 'Wana' in Swahili means 'in the process of'. Further evidence reveals the video does not show demonstrations in Togo. Kenyan protests A reverse image search was conducted on keyframes from the video using Google Lens. Among the search results was a YouTube link to the same footage, which was posted on June 28, 2025, without a caption (archived here). The YouTube video includes a watermark for a TikTok account called '@makofonyo3', where the original video was posted three days earlier (archived here). Again, it contained no details of what the clip depicted. However, a similar video from the same account was also shared on June 25, 2025, showing crowds marching along the four-lane highway, except this time a large road sign is visible, giving an indication of where it was filmed (archived here). Image Screenshot showing the highway sign seen in the video taken on July 17, 2025 Some of the words written on the gantry sign include directions for 'Nairobi', 'Kamiti Road', an urban road in Nairobi, 'Garden City', a shopping centre located along Thika Road, a major highway, also called A2, and 'Mombasa', a coastal city in Kenya. The highway sign was geolocated to Thika Road in Nairobi using Google Earth (archived here). Image Screenshot showing the highway sign seen in the video and satellite imagery on Google Earth, taken on July 17, 2025 AFP Fact Check matched various landmarks on Thika Road, like buildings and bridges, to both the video in the false posts and imagery from Google Earth. Image Screenshots matching features seen in the video (top) to satellite imagery on Google Earth, taken on July 17, 2025 Furthermore, by expanding the view on Google Earth, we established that the video falsely linked to Togo was filmed from alongside the gantry on Thika Road during protests in June 2025 (archived here). Kenyan protests On June 25, protesters took to the streets of Nairobi, Mombasa, and other counties across the country to mark the first anniversary of the deaths of 60 people killed when thousands of youths stormed the parliamentary chamber in 2024, demanding Ruto's resignation. The anniversary marches were violently repressed by the police and rekindled anti-government protests (archived here). Several Kenyan media outlets mentioned Thika Road in their reporting, including Citizen TV Kenya (archived here). The Daily Nation published photos in which the four-lane highway can be seen several times (archived link here). Image Screenshot showing an image of Thika Road published by The Daily Nation in Kenya, taken on July 21, 2025 Following the incident, the Kenyan government said it 'thwarted a coup d'etat' and denounced 'terrorism disguised as protest' (archived here). Since then, Ruto has continued to warn those who would 'overthrow' the government. The United Nations and other human rights groups have criticised the violence witnessed during the latest protests (archived here). Ruto, who was elected in 2022 after campaigning on behalf of the poorest, has faced significant opposition to his economic policies since 2024.
LeMonde
19-07-2025
- LeMonde
Controversial security cooperation between France and Togo slows down
The vote ultimately took place peacefully. On Thursday, July 17, municipal elections were held without incident in Togo, despite renewed calls to protest by the "Mouvement du 6 juin" (M66, a coalition of activists), which has condemned the rising cost of living and the recent constitutional reform that has allowed Faure Gnassingbé – who has led the country since 2005 – to remain in power with no term limits. A heavy security presence was deployed in Lomé and several presumed leaders were reportedly arrested as a preventive measure. Demonstrations took place in the capital on June 5 and 6, and again on June 26, 27 and 28. Law enforcement harshly suppressed the protests. The outcome: Seven people were killed, according to civil society organizations, while the government acknowledged five deaths − "by drowning." In Paris, the political opposition – along with some officials who spoke anonymously – expressed outrage at the repression carried out by Togolese authorities, who had previously shed blood during earlier protest movements in 2005 and 2017. After having been the main ally of former president Gnassingbé Eyadéma, a prominent figure in the Françafrique network who ruled Togo from 1967 to 2005, France has remained an important partner for his son, Faure Gnassingbé. In 2011, the two countries notably signed a defense partnership agreement, which remains in force.
France 24
29-06-2025
- France 24
Togo groups say recent protests left 7 dead
Togo's Gendarmerie has so far only reported two deaths, from drowning Campaigning groups and rights organisations denounced "abuses committed by members of the Togolese security forces and militias", and said seven bodies had been recovered from rivers in the capital. They also reported "dozens of wounded" and "more than 60 arrests during the three days of demonstrations held from Thursday to Saturday. The Togolese authorities, who have yet to provide an official toll from the recent protests, on Sunday denied the deaths were linked to the unrest. "Forensic analysis revealed that these deaths occurred as a result of drowning," the government said in a statement, without commenting on the number of bodies recovered. "I would like to congratulate our fellow citizens for their good behaviour and also the professionalism of our security forces, and above all, to reassure them that the government will take all necessary measures to protect Togolese citizens," Hodabalo Awate, minister of territorial administration, said on state television Sunday evening. 'Unacceptable' Earlier, David Dosseh of "Front Citoyen Togo Debout" told AFP that "we are in a country where citizens still have the right to go out, to express themselves." "They should not face this state-imposed brutality, it is unacceptable," he added. "We are not animals, we are sons of this country, and as sons and citizens of this country, the Constitution gives us the right to express ourselves and to demonstrate peacefully." Protests are rare in Togo, where President Faure Gnassingbe has maintained his grip on power since 2005, succeeding his father who ruled for nearly four decades. But on Thursday morning, small pockets of up to dozens of protesters blocked streets, burned tyres and wooden barricades in the capital, where many businesses remained closed. People have been protesting against a crackdown on critical voices, rising electricity prices and a constitutional reform that allowed Gnassingbe, now 59, to further consolidate his power. On June 5 and 6, police arrested about 50 protesters, mainly young people. Most have since been released but Amnesty International has denounced cases of alleged "torture". The government responded that it had not been officially informed of such abuses and condemned protesters' "clear will to sow disorder and chaos". In mid-June, Togo blocked France 24 television and Radio France Internationale for three months, accusing the outlets of having relayed "inaccurate and biased statements" following the early June protests. © 2025 AFP
