Seven people died during anti-government protests in Togo last week, according to local human rights groups who have condemned what they describe as excessive and brutal force by security officers.
The protests, which began last Thursday, called for the resignation of longtime President Faure Gnassingbé amid growing frustration over rising living costs and his recent move to assume the powerful new role of President of the Council of Ministers, a post that critics say cements his hold on power indefinitely.
Reuters reporters in Lomé witnessed soldiers using tear gas and batons to disperse demonstrators gathered near the city’s lagoon areas.
“This is shocking violence. Security forces must stop treating protest as a threat to be crushed,” said Luc Abalo, a spokesperson for the Togo League for Human Rights.
The government, in a statement released Sunday, confirmed that bodies were recovered from the Be Lagoon and Akodessewa Lake but said the deaths were due to drowning, not police action.
“The government expresses its sympathy to bereaved families and reminds all residents near water bodies to observe safety rules around water areas, especially during this rainy season,” the statement read.
Gnassingbé, who has ruled the small West African nation since 2005, has faced persistent calls to step down from opposition groups who accuse him of entrenching a dynasty begun by his father, the late President Gnassingbé Eyadéma.
In May, the president assumed his new council role with no fixed term limit, sparking fears that Togo’s fragile democratic space is closing further.
“This is not just about the cost of living. It is about being heard,” said a protester in Lomé, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Togo’s opposition has pledged more demonstrations in the coming weeks as calls for accountability over the deaths grow louder.
Reporting By Ollus Ndomu
About The Author
Leave a comment