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Roya News
a day ago
- Politics
- Roya News
Correction: Viral video falsely claimed to show protest in Togo, footage is from Kenya
Roya News English previously shared a video on social media claiming to show a large protest in Togo against President Faure Gnassingbé. We have since learned that the footage was actually taken in Nairobi, Kenya, during recent demonstrations against President William Ruto. We regret the error and apologize for the misrepresentation. The video, which showed crowds marching along a highway with smoke rising in the background, was widely circulated online. The accompanying caption incorrectly stated that it depicted Togolese citizens protesting constitutional changes aimed at extending President Gnassingbé's time in power. While Togo has indeed witnessed anti-government protests in recent weeks, triggered by arrests of opposition figures, rising electricity costs, and a controversial constitutional reform, the video in question is unrelated to those events. The clarification comes after a fact-check by Agence France-Presse (AFP), which identified the video's true origin using both audio and visual analysis. Swahili - a language not spoken in Togo - can be heard in the footage. Additionally, road signs visible in the video point to Nairobi landmarks such as Kamiti Road, Garden City, and Mombasa. Using geolocation tools and satellite imagery, AFP confirmed that the footage was filmed on Thika Road in Nairobi during protests on June 25, 2025. The demonstrations marked the anniversary of deadly unrest in 2024 and were met with a heavy police response. The Kenyan government later claimed it had thwarted a coup attempt and labeled the protests as acts of terrorism. We thank AFP Fact Check for its verification work, which helped clarify the origins of the footage and prevent further misinformation.
AFP
2 days ago
- Politics
- 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
5 days ago
- Politics
- 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.
6 days ago
- 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
6 days ago
- 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.'
