Seven killed during Togo protests, say civil society groups
The protests calling for the resignation of longtime leader Faure Gnassingbe amid what government critics describe as a cost of living crisis began last Thursday. Reuters witnesses saw soldiers use tear gas and batons to disperse them.
A joint statement by 12 Togolese civil society and human rights groups also accused security forces of carrying out arbitrary arrests, beating civilians with batons and ropes and stealing and destroying private property.
The groups said three bodies, two of them minors, were found on Friday in Be lagoon, east of the capital Lome. They said the bodies of two brothers were found on the same day in a lake in Lome's Akodessewa district. And they said two more bodies were discovered on Saturday in Nyekonakpoe, also in Lome.
A government statement dated Sunday acknowledged bodies were recovered from Be lagoon and the Akodessewa lake but said the deaths were due to drowning.
"The government expresses its sympathy to bereaved families and reminds all residents near water bodies to observe safety rules around water areas, especially during this rainy season," the statement said.
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