Latest news with #Gnassingbé
17-07-2025
- Politics
Low turnout in Togo municipal elections seen as test for the country's president
LOME, Togo -- Togolese voters went to the polls on Thursday in municipal elections seen as a test for the country's leader Faure Gnassingbé, who has faced rare and deadly protests after a recent constitutional reform that could effectively keep him in power indefinitely. Polling stations remained largely deserted in Togo's capital, Lomé, reflecting widespread voter apathy and fear following the crackdown on anti-government protests that left several people dead in June. Gnassingbé, who has ruled since 2005 after the death of his father and predecessor as president, Gnassingbé Eyadéma, was sworn in as president of the Council of Ministers in May. The powerful role has no official term limits and he is eligible to be reelected by Parliament indefinitely. Diaspora-based social media influencers and civil society groups had called for a boycott of the elections, the first national vote organized since the constitutional reform. They argued that the current electoral system lacks credibility and that the recent repression has silenced dissenting voices. Police and military patrols were stationed at major intersections throughout Lomé, reinforcing a heavy security presence that many residents said contributed to the atmosphere of unease. 'I've been voting since 1998, but this year is nothing like the others,' Sémon Aboudou said outside a nearly empty voting center in the Bè neighborhood, considered an opposition stronghold. 'Even in 2019, there was more enthusiasm. Now people don't see any change coming.' 'People are afraid — afraid of being attacked by protesters for legitimizing these elections, or afraid of being dispersed by security forces,' said Edem Adjaklo, a voter in the Gakli neighborhood. 'They feel it's pointless to vote because the results are always the same — predetermined.'
San Francisco Chronicle
17-07-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Low turnout in Togo municipal elections seen as test for the country's president
LOME, Togo (AP) — Togolese voters went to the polls on Thursday in municipal elections seen as a test for the country's leader Faure Gnassingbé, who has faced rare and deadly protests after a recent constitutional reform that could effectively keep him in power indefinitely. Polling stations remained largely deserted in Togo's capital, Lomé, reflecting widespread voter apathy and fear following the crackdown on anti-government protests that left several people dead in June. Gnassingbé, who has ruled since 2005 after the death of his father and predecessor as president, Gnassingbé Eyadéma, was sworn in as president of the Council of Ministers in May. The powerful role has no official term limits and he is eligible to be reelected by Parliament indefinitely. Diaspora-based social media influencers and civil society groups had called for a boycott of the elections, the first national vote organized since the constitutional reform. They argued that the current electoral system lacks credibility and that the recent repression has silenced dissenting voices. Police and military patrols were stationed at major intersections throughout Lomé, reinforcing a heavy security presence that many residents said contributed to the atmosphere of unease. 'I've been voting since 1998, but this year is nothing like the others,' Sémon Aboudou said outside a nearly empty voting center in the Bè neighborhood, considered an opposition stronghold. 'Even in 2019, there was more enthusiasm. Now people don't see any change coming.' 'People are afraid — afraid of being attacked by protesters for legitimizing these elections, or afraid of being dispersed by security forces,' said Edem Adjaklo, a voter in the Gakli neighborhood. 'They feel it's pointless to vote because the results are always the same — predetermined.'
Winnipeg Free Press
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Low turnout in Togo municipal elections seen as test for the country's president
LOME, Togo (AP) — Togolese voters went to the polls on Thursday in municipal elections seen as a test for the country's leader Faure Gnassingbé, who has faced rare and deadly protests after a recent constitutional reform that could effectively keep him in power indefinitely. Polling stations remained largely deserted in Togo's capital, Lomé, reflecting widespread voter apathy and fear following the crackdown on anti-government protests that left several people dead in June. Gnassingbé, who has ruled since 2005 after the death of his father and predecessor as president, Gnassingbé Eyadéma, was sworn in as president of the Council of Ministers in May. The powerful role has no official term limits and he is eligible to be reelected by Parliament indefinitely. Diaspora-based social media influencers and civil society groups had called for a boycott of the elections, the first national vote organized since the constitutional reform. They argued that the current electoral system lacks credibility and that the recent repression has silenced dissenting voices. Police and military patrols were stationed at major intersections throughout Lomé, reinforcing a heavy security presence that many residents said contributed to the atmosphere of unease. 'I've been voting since 1998, but this year is nothing like the others,' Sémon Aboudou said outside a nearly empty voting center in the Bè neighborhood, considered an opposition stronghold. 'Even in 2019, there was more enthusiasm. Now people don't see any change coming.' 'People are afraid — afraid of being attacked by protesters for legitimizing these elections, or afraid of being dispersed by security forces,' said Edem Adjaklo, a voter in the Gakli neighborhood. 'They feel it's pointless to vote because the results are always the same — predetermined.'
The Guardian
10-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
‘One too many': rapper's arrest sparks protests against Togo's ruling dynasty
On the night last month that he and 34 other young people were arrested in the Togolese capital, Lomé, for coordinating an anti-government demonstration, Bertin Bandiangou said gendarmes beat him with ropes and slapped him. The next morning he was tortured while a commanding officer filmed proceedings. He was lucky to get out alive: at least 10 people have been killed by security officials since protests began in June calling for the resignation of the small west African country's president, Faure Gnassingbé. 'From this bitter experience, it is clear that the Togolese regime is prepared to commit the worst atrocities to retain power,' said Bandiangou, a 24-year-old student union president at the University of Lomé. With the exception of a three-month period in 2005, Togo has been ruled by the Gnassingbés since 1967, when Faure Gnassingbé's father, Gnassingbé Eyadéma, took power in a bloodless coup. In February, the government hosted a flamboyant $34m memorial service for Eyadéma, who died in 2005. Observers said the ceremony, attended by five former African presidents, served as a lavish statement of the dynasty's enduring power. Then in May, Gnassingbé's power was further consolidated when he was sworn in as 'president of the council of ministers', a new post that is not subject to term limits. The swearing-in was the culmination of a process that began in March last year when parliament amended the constitution, without a referendum, to do away with presidential elections – a move described by the Touche Pas à Ma Constitution coalition as 'a coup against the Togolese people'. Though the memorial service and constitutional changes struck a nerve with young people in Togo who want political change, the spark for the recent protests was the arrest of Tchala Essowè Narcisse, a popular rapper known as Aamron, on 26 May. Aamron has built a following on TikTok, and his songs denounce corruption, economic stagnation and state neglect. His arrest followed a satirical call for a mobilisation to mark Gnassingbé's birthday. According to Célestin Kokou Agbogan, his lawyer and the president of Togo's Human Rights League, Aamron was arrested without a warrant and held incommunicado for 10 days. A video clip then surfaced in which, appearing disoriented, he claimed the state had labelled him mentally unstable and had detained him in a psychiatric facility in Zébé, just outside Lomé. Agbogan said no official charges had been filed. The opposition alliance Dynamics for Majority of the People condemned the arrest as 'unlawful, unjustified, and driven by political motives' and has called for Aamron's immediate and unconditional release. In the days after his disappearance, fans flooded social media with clips of his defiant lyrics. Then they took to the streets of Lomé, barricading roads, burning tyres and chanting 'Libérez Aamron!' and 'Togo Libre!' 'Since Faure Gnassingbé became president, any opinion that does not praise him is seen as a crime,' Bandiangou said. 'He systematically imprisons all dissenting voices. Aamron's arrest was … one too many.' Bandiangou said his aim was to mobilise people in an attempt to end the practice of arbitrary imprisonment and allow political prisoners to regain their freedom. Protesters have paid a steep price for their dissent: more than 100 have been arrested since June, and some are still missing. Amnesty International said last week it had interviewed victims and witnesses who described a series of abuses by security forces against demonstrators, including acts of torture. On 1 July, the Economic Community of West African States urged restraint and called for dialogue. Otherwise, international reaction has been muted, drowned out by geopolitical crises elsewhere. Nevertheless, diaspora communities and human rights groups are attempting to ramp up pressure on the regime, demanding sanctions and diplomatic scrutiny. Experts say beneath the anger at the constitutional changes lies a deeper well of frustration over corruption and nepotism that has been exacerbated by a scarce jobs market and a rise in the cost of living. Protests have erupted periodically for decades – usually over delayed elections, term extensions and heavy-handed crackdowns – but there are signs that discontent is widening. Civil society groups and opposition parties held demonstrations on three consecutive days in late June over a planned pan-Africanist conference – later cancelled – that they claimed would whitewash the latest power grab, while protests have also broken out in recent weeks over electricity price rises. 'Young people are exasperated by shortsighted and aimless governance, and by being held hostage by a regime incapable of providing the population with the basic necessities of life,' said Bandiangou. 'Our message is clear: we no longer want a regime that imprisons our dreams and has terrorised an entire people for nearly six decades.'
San Francisco Chronicle
09-07-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
'He just wanted to play football': A family mourns a 15-year-old as Togo cracks down on protests
LOME, Togo (AP) — The family courtyard where Jacques Koami Koutoglo used to play football with his cousins in a working-class neighborhood in Togo 's capital now sits silent. The ball he once kicked around lies deflated beside a bundle of firewood. 'Jacques died for Togo," his uncle, Koutoglo Kossi Mawuli, said quietly, eyes heavy with grief. The 15-year-old is one of several people who died during mass protests in the West African nation against constitutional changes that many fear will cement President Faure Gnassingbé's grip on power — and lengthen a ruling dynasty that has lasted over half a century. The 59-year-old Gnassingbé, who has ruled since 2005 after his father's death, was sworn in as president of the Council of Ministers in May. The executive body was created last year with little notice by a parliament whose term had just expired, and Gnassingbé swiftly signed off on the constitutional change despite public outcry. The new role has no term limits, and Gnassingbé can stay on indefinitely. Local civil society groups and social media influencers had called for protests last month after the government announced a clampdown on demonstrations. Many young Togolese are drawing inspiration from recent uprisings across West Africa, where youth movements challenged entrenched regimes. Koutoglo had just completed secondary school and was eagerly waiting for exam results. He had dreams of becoming a footballer and spent evenings practicing his moves. He often helped at his uncle's cafeteria during school breaks. On the morning of June 26, the day of the protests, he vanished. 'Since our family compound is large and full of cousins, we assumed he was with someone else," Mawuli said. But when evening came and the boy hadn't returned, unease turned into panic. The next day, a fisherman discovered a body floating in the lagoon a hundred meters (yards) from their home. The family rushed to the scene. It was Koutoglo. His face was bruised, and blood had streamed from his nose. "He didn't go to any rally,' Mawuli said. 'He must have panicked when he heard the tear gas and gunshots. He got caught up in the chaos.' Civil society groups say at least five people, including Koutoglo, died during the demonstrations and dozens were injured, and accuse security forces of making arbitrary arrests, assaulting civilians with batons and ropes, and looting or vandalizing private property. In Koutoglo's neighborhood of Bè, a densely populated and historically restive part of Lomé, witnesses described security forces chasing down youth, even into private homes. 'They came into our courtyard. They fired gas. They beat people,' said a neighbor who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. Koutoglo's uncle said the family intends to press charges and demand an independent investigation into his nephew's death. 'You can't just beat our children to death and expect us to be silent. We are tired," he said. Civil society groups said the justice system has made no arrests and has not requested an autopsy. "These acts, marked by unspeakable cruelty, amount to a state crime. The perpetrators struck without restraint and killed without distinction,' they said in a statement. In a statement read out on state television, Togo's government acknowledged that bodies were recovered from the Bè lagoon and the Akodessewa lake but said the victims died from drowning. The government said there would be a further investigation. Across Togo, Koutoglo's name has joined a long list of young lives cut short during moments of national tension. 'This is not the first time,' Mawuli said. 'Back in 2017, children died too. It's like nothing ever changes. But this time, we refuse to stay quiet.' In 2017 and 2018, mass protests challenged President Faure Gnassingbé's long rule. A government crackdown left at least 16 dead, including teenagers. To those still protesting, Mawuli sent a message of solidarity: 'Don't give up. This fight is for our children. For Jacques. For all of us.' New protests are planned for July 16 and 17. Fabien Offner, a researcher with Amnesty International, said Togo has a 'repressive architecture' that has normalized arbitrary arrests, beatings and impunity. "They're routine now,' he said. 'And the lack of global reaction only deepens the crisis.' Government spokesman Gilbert Bawara defended the state's approach. He told reporters the recent constitutional changes followed proper procedures, and dismissed allegations of systemic abuse. 'If there are grievances, let them be addressed through lawful channels,' he said. But with opposition figures sidelined, institutions dominated by the ruling party and elections widely seen as flawed, critics say these channels offer little hope.
