Latest news with #politicalunrest
Al Jazeera
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Togo votes in local elections amid outburst of public anger: What to know
Tensions are palpable in the West African nation of Togo as highly anticipated local government elections are being held following weeks of angry protests calling for leader Faure Gnassingbe to resign. Although small, Togo commands weight as a developing maritime and transit hub in the region because of an important port in the seaside capital, Lome, which is perched on the edge of the Atlantic. The country serves as a gateway into inland Sahel nations and is also home to a major West African airline, meaning unrest there could reverberate across the region. Voters heading out to cast their ballots on Thursday, July 17, are expected to elect leaders of the country's 117 municipalities, amid a heavier-than-usual security presence and shuttered land borders. At the same time, demonstrators have scheduled protests in the capital, Lome, to intentionally clash with the date of the vote, prompting fears of possible widespread violence. Led largely by the country's youth population, antigovernment demonstrations erupted in June after a controversial constitutional change. Protests have been met with brute force from Togolese security forces; at least seven people have died, local rights groups say. The protests are only the latest in the restive country, where more frequent demonstrations in recent years are pressuring the decades-long dynastic government. Here's what to know about the current political situation in Togo: Why are Togolese protesting? Large demonstrations have been held in Lome in recent years, with Togolese calling for Gnassingbe, who has led the country since 2005, to step down. Between 2017 and 2018, thousands of protesters took to the streets in demonstrations tagged 'Faure Must Go' and 'Togo stands up'. The uprising rocked the nation of four million and resulted in violent crackdowns from security officials. The government thereafter banned public demonstrations for 'security reasons'. Although officially a democracy, Togo operates in practice as a militarised state, with the army heavily involved in politics. The capital is crawling with stern-faced, armed gendarmes who are often accused of arresting and torturing dissidents. This year's bout of protests was triggered after popular rapper and TikToker Tchala Essowe Narcisse, popularly known as Aamron, was arrested for publishing a video where he called for protests to mark the president's June 6 birthday. However, anger had been simmering over the high costs of living in the country, and particularly, over new constitutional reforms that opposition leaders and civil society organisations say could see Gnassingbe rule for life. Thursday's municipal elections will be the first polls held under the new reforms. First approved in April 2024 by a parliament dominated by the governing Union pour le Republic (UNIR) party, the constitutional amendment swapped the presidential system in the country for a parliamentary one. Controversially, though, it also introduced a new all-powerful position: President of the Council of Ministers. The role essentially regains all the powers of a president and is without clear official limits. Opposition leaders argued at the time that it would allow Gnassingbe to appoint a dummy president and remain the de facto leader until at least 2030. They called it a 'constitutional coup'. On May 3 this year, Gnassingbe was sworn into the new executive role, as critics predicted. Politician Jean-Lucien Savi de Tove, 86, is now president, and is the oldest in Togo's history. In late June, thousands of demonstrators poured into the streets of Lome in anger, calling for Gnassingbe to step down from office after rapper Aamron's arrest and alleged torture. Protesters set up barricades and hurled stones at security forces, who responded with force, firing tear gas canisters into the crowd, according to reporting by the Reuters news agency. Le Front Citoyen Togo Debout, a coalition of 12 civil society and human rights groups, accused security officials of arbitrarily arresting civilians, beating them with batons and ropes, and stealing and destroying private property. At least seven people were discovered dead in the aftermath of the protests, according to the coalition, including two minors. Their bodies were discovered days after the demonstrations in various lagoons and lakes around Lome. Meanwhile, a Togolese government statement said the deaths were caused by drowning and cautioned residents living near water bodies to be extra careful in the current rainy season. The 'Don't Touch My Constitution' movement demanded an international investigation into the claims, while Togo's Catholic Bishops said the levels of violence were 'unacceptable and unjustified'. Who is Faure Gnassingbe? Just days after his father died in 2005, Faure Essozimna Gnassingbe was hurriedly installed as the country's president by the army, extending decades of his family's rule over Togo. Despite outrage in the country, which led to widespread protests in which at least 500 people were killed, the younger Gnassingbe did not relinquish power and went on to organise and win elections that year, which many critics called a ruse. His father, the late Gnassingbe Eyadema, seized power in a military coup and ruled the country with a tight fist for 38 years (1967-2005), making him the longest-serving African ruler at the time he died. His 'rule of terror' was characterised by a one-party system and deadly repression of dissent, according to Amnesty International. The younger Gnassingbe, while having fostered multi-party rule and infrastructural development in the country, appears to be angling for his father's record, critics say. Combined, the father-son duo has commandeered Togo for 58 years. With 60 percent of the population under 35, most Togolese have never experienced life under a different political administration. Gnassingbe has won every election since 2005. In 2019, in an attempt to circumvent demonstrations calling for his resignation, parliament ushered in constitutional amendments that, the government argued, automatically reset Gnassingbe's terms. That allowed him to run for the 2020 and 2025 presidential elections. At first glance, the latest reforms from 2024 appear to acquiesce to what some critics have been demanding: A weakened president elected by the parliament for a single six-year term, rather than an all-powerful leader. However, what most did not see coming was that Gnassingbe would be appointed to a more powerful position. Are protesters being targeted? And what is the M66 Movement? As tensions simmer, demonstrators and civil society accuse Togolese officials of targeting protest leaders, many of whom are living in exile in neighbouring countries, as well as France and the United States. Last week, the government issued international arrest warrants targeting those believed to be leading organisers, especially members of the M66 Citizens' Movement – a political collective of bloggers and activists, named after Gnassingbe's June 6 birthday date. Officials say the group is 'inciting unrest and terrorism' in the country. 'The countries where these individuals reside are urged to cooperate,' Security Minister Calixte Madjoulba said at a news briefing. 'Wherever they are, we will pursue them.' M66 members called for renewed protests on July 16 and 17 in a bid to boycott the municipal elections, which form part of a wider push by the government to devolve power at the centre and attempt to improve local governance. Local elections were not held between 1986 and 2020, as the government kept postponing them. Instead, the central authorities designated special administrators who critics say served the government's interests. Some opposition leaders have also called for boycotts, although Jean-Pierre Fabre, leader of the main opposition National Alliance for Change, told reporters this week that taking part in the vote was necessary to show Togolese what's possible. 'The elections will not change anything in this country and we know it very well,' Zaga Bambo, a France-based music artist who claims to be a member of the group, said in a Facebook post. Bambo also dismissed the arrest warrants, telling French media channel RFI that he was unfazed by it. Activist Farida Nabourema echoed calls for boycotts on social media platform X. 'You participate, you lose, you cry out, then you fall silent. And every five years, you start over,' she wrote.
The Independent
16-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Bangladeshi forces clash with supporters of ousted leader Hasina, leaving at least 4 dead
Bangladeshi security forces on Wednesday clashed with supporters of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, leaving at least four people dead and scores injured, a hospital official and local media said. The violence erupted in the morning and spread as a new political party formed by students who led the uprising against Hasina in August last year announced a march toward southwestern Gopalganj district, Hasina's ancestral home, and her Awami League party's stronghold. Authorities later imposed an overnight curfew in the district. Since Hasina's ouster 11 months ago, Bangladesh has been marked by chaos and unchecked mob violence. Wednesday's attack underscores the deep divisions in the country as its interim government keeps failing to bring the deteriorating security situation under control. A chaotic situation TV footage showed pro-Hasina activists armed attacking police with sticks and setting vehicles on fire as a convoy of about 20 vehicles carrying the leaders of the students' National Citizen Party arrived as part of commemorations of the uprising. Party leaders took shelter in the office of the local police chief. Footage showed top leaders were being escorted by soldiers to an armored vehicle for safety. They later left for a neighboring district with security escorts. Jibitesh Biswas, a senior official of a state-run hospital, told reporters that the bodies of at least three people had been brought in. The country's leading English-language Daily Star reported that four people died. The interim government said Wednesday the attackers on the students would not go 'unpunished" and in a statement issued on behalf of interim leader Muhammad Yunus, described the violence in Gopalganj as 'utterly indefensible." Hasina's Awami League party, which authorities banned in May, issued several statements on X condemning the violence and blaming the interim government for the deaths and injuries. 'We urge the world to take note of this blatant use of security apparatus,' one Awami statement said, adding that it had used mob violence against 'dissenters.' Student leader Nahid Islam gave the authorities a 24-hour ultimatum to arrest those responsible for the Gopalganj violence and floated the prospect of another march in the neighboring district of Faridpur on Thursday. The right wing Jamaat-e-Islami party condemned the attacks on the student-led party and announced a nationwide protest in all districts and main cities for Thursday. A nation in turmoil Critics of the interim government warn of a widening polarization that has reduced hopes for national reconciliation even as Yunus' administration pledges to bring order in the post-Hasina era. They say if the situation does not improve, a peaceful transition to democracy would be jeopardized. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Yunus took over the country three days after Hasina was toppled and fled to India, pledging to restore order. He has promised a new election would be held in April next year. Hasina now faces charges of crimes against humanity while the government seeks her extradition from India, which has not responded to Bangladesh's request. Gopalganj is a politically sensitive district because Hasina father's mausoleum is located there. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country's independence leader, was buried there after he was assassinated along with most of his family members in a military coup in 1975. The National Citizen Party launched its 'July March to Rebuild the Nation' at the start of the month, saying they would take place across all districts as part of its drive to position itself as a new force in Bangladeshi politics. Bangladesh's political past has been largely dominated by two dynastic parties — Hasina's Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, or BNP, headed by her rival and former prime minister Khaleda Zia. The BNP, which is hopeful of coming to power in the absence of Hasina's party, was mostly silent about Wednesday's violence.
Al Jazeera
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Bangladesh police clash with pro-Hasina activists, at least three dead
Bangladeshi security forces clashed with supporters of deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, leaving at least three people dead and many injured. Violence broke out Wednesday in the southern town of Gopalganj when members of Hasina's Awami League tried to disrupt a rally by the National Citizens Party (NCP), which is made up of students who spearheaded the unrest that toppled the leader last year. TV footage showed pro-Hasina activists armed with sticks attacking police and setting vehicles on fire as NCP leaders arrived at the new party's 'March to Rebuild the Nation' programme commemorating the uprising. Monoj Baral, a nurse at the Gopalganj District Hospital, told the news agency AFP that three people were killed. Local media, including the English-language Daily Star, said that four had died. One of the dead was identified by Baral as Ramjan Sikdar. The other two were taken away from the hospital by their families, said Baral. Authorities imposed an overnight curfew in the district. Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus, who replaced Hasina three days after her overthrow last year, said that the attempt by the former leader's supporters to foil the NCP rally was 'a shameful violation of their fundamental rights'. 'This heinous act … will not go unpunished,' said a statement from the Nobel Peace Prize laureate's office. Hasnat Abdullah, an NCP coordinator, said rally attendees took refuge at a police station after being attacked. 'We don't feel safe at all. They threatened to burn us alive,' he told AFP. New political force Bangladesh has been in political turmoil since Hasina was toppled nearly a year ago. Hasina, who fled to India following a student-led uprising last August, faces several charges. This month, she was sentenced in absentia to six months in prison for contempt of court by the country's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT). Gopalganj is a politically sensitive district because the mausoleum of Hasina's father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, is located there. Rahman, the country's founding president, was buried there after he was assassinated along with most of his family members in a military coup in 1971. Hasina would go on to contest elections from the constituency. The NCP march was launched on July 1 across all districts in Bangladesh as part of its drive to position itself as a new force in Bangladeshi politics. The country's political landscape has been largely dominated by two dynastic families: Hasina's Awami League party and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. Yunus has said an election will be held in April next year.
NHK
16-07-2025
- Business
- NHK
Thailand: Border dispute with Cambodia deepens political turmoil
In Thailand, tensions are heightening over a border dispute with neighboring Cambodia. Now, many people are worried about further political unrest and a possible wider impact on the economy.
Telegraph
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Starmer's strategy unravels as policy U-turns erode authority
Despite Labour's landslide majority, Hodges noted that 'this is not normal… It is not normal for a prime minister facing open revolt from his party'. He points to the failure of Sir Keir's leadership strategy: 'The sort of proper preparations, the hard yards, the hard policy development, the clear 100-day strategy – none of that was done. And what we are seeing is a prime minister who just was not prepared for the demands of government.' With further party unrest caused by reforms to the welfare Bill, there are questions surrounding the ambitions of the Deputy PM: ' She's very popular amongst activists. She has support amongst the trade unions and amongst the growing cadre of Labour MPs who are starting to see the primary threat to Labour coming from Farage and Farage's populist working class appeal.' The prospect of Sir Keir holding the party together, Hodges suggested, is narrowing: 'Both his Left flank and his Right flank are collapsing simultaneously, which is why he's in the dire predicament he is.'
