Security Forces Crackdown on Togolese Protesters
Between June 26 – 28, civil society activist organisations and social media pro-democracy influencers called for protesters to come to the streets to oppose the government of President Gnassingbe.
Hundreds of people emerged onto the streets of the capital of Togo, Lome, and set up barricades with burning tyres in many neighbourhoods. They also fired projectiles at security forces, leading to violent clashes.
A coalition of pro-democracy political organisations called the 'Hands off my constitution' said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that it 'strongly urges Faure Gnassingbe to immediately and unconditionally release all of the roughly one hundred political prisoners and to take urgent measures to restore purchasing powers to the population.'
The police dispersed the crowds with tear gas and batons, pushing activists back. Military jeeps also appeared on the streets with the national army out in force. After the protests, security forces arrested several protesters to clamp down on the opposition .
Hodabalo Awate, Togo's minister of the interior, did not respond to requests for comment on the actions of the security forces, remaining silent on the violent government response.
The protests have been triggered by constitutional changes put into place by Gnassingbe, who has been in power since the death of his father in 2005. The President has removed term limits and changed his official role to the President of the Council of Ministers, a role equivalent to President, to help him remain in power.
Critics and opposition activists have denounced this decision as a constitutional coup, which could extend Gnassingbe's period of office to allow him to become President for life. This is a major extension of authoritarian power in the Togolese Republic.
Togo has also been facing a major cost-of-living crisis, which Amnesty International has linked to government mismanagement. Public protests have also been officially banned in Togo since 2022.
This crackdown on opposition activists has strengthened the Gnassingbe dictatorship, but poses a greater threat to democracy in an unstable region . Tags: protests in togoTogotogolese republic
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