Raphael Kanu
At least seven people were killed during anti-government protests in Togo last week, according to a coalition of civil society and human rights organisations, which have condemned what they described as “shocking violence” by state security forces.
The protests, which erupted last Thursday, were fuelled by mounting public anger over the soaring cost of living and calls for President Faure Gnassingbé to step down. Gnassingbé, who has ruled the country since 2005 and recently assumed the powerful position of President of the Council of Ministers, has faced growing criticism from opposition figures and rights advocates.
Eyewitnesses, including Reuters correspondents, reported seeing soldiers use tear gas and batons to disperse protesters in the capital, Lomé. A joint statement issued by 12 Togolese civil society and rights organisations accused security forces of excessive force, including arbitrary arrests, physical assault with batons and ropes, and destruction or looting of private property.
According to the statement, three bodies — including two minors — were recovered on Friday from Be Lagoon, east of Lomé. That same day, the bodies of two brothers were discovered in a lake in the Akodessewa district, while two more victims were reportedly found on Saturday in Nyekonakpoe, also within the capital.
In a statement released Sunday, the Togolese government confirmed the recovery of bodies from Be Lagoon and the Akodessewa lake, but attributed the deaths to drowning. “The government expresses its sympathy to bereaved families and reminds all residents near water bodies to observe safety rules, especially during the rainy season,” the statement read.
However, civil society leaders have dismissed the government’s explanation, pointing to the violent crackdown that accompanied the protests and alleging deliberate attempts to suppress dissent.
Togo’s Minister of Territorial Administration, Hodabalo Awate, has yet to respond to media inquiries regarding the state’s response to the protests. The government’s Sunday statement praised the conduct of security personnel and confirmed that “several” individuals had been arrested.
The recent unrest is part of a broader pattern of political tension in Togo, where the ruling family has maintained power since 1967. Faure Gnassingbé’s assumption of his new role — which lacks term limits — has been widely interpreted by critics as a further erosion of democracy in West Africa, a region already grappling with coups and extended authoritarian rule.
In a related incident earlier this month, Amnesty International accused Togolese authorities of a crackdown on dissent after dozens were arrested during protests on June 5 and 6. Many of those detained were reportedly released shortly thereafter.
As pressure mounts from both domestic and international observers, questions continue to swirl around Togo’s political trajectory and the state’s commitment to democratic principles and human rights.