Anti-Government Protests In Lomé Result In Civilian Casualties

On Thursday 19th October, five anti-government protesters were shot and injured by police during sporadic clashes in Togo’s capital city of Lomé. According to the spokesman of the main opposition party Alliance Nationale pour le Changement (ANC), Eric Dupuy, two of the five injured during the protests are in critical condition.

Thursday’s protest is just one of the many demonstrations in Lomé and other major cities in the country that began in August. The protesters are calling for the resignation of President Faure Gnassingbe, who has been in power since 2005, as well as the reinstatement of the former constitution that would have banned the president from a fourth term in 2020.  Within the next few months, the Togolese parliament will vote on a bill that would change the constitution which would allow the current president to run for two more terms.

Between the 16th and 18th of October, four people were killed in Sokode, the country’s second biggest city, and three others died in Central Togo during clashes with the police and the army.  Since August, twelve people, most of whom are teenagers, have been killed during clashes with the police and army. Additionally, between 60 and 100 people have been arrested throughout the country since the beginning of the protests. Amnesty International claims that at least 28 of them have been convicted of crimes related to the protests.  Moreover, many youths have been injured after being beaten by soldiers who had gone door-to-door discouraging them from protesting.

Gnassingbe’s presidency has been contentious from the very beginning when he became president in 2005, succeeding his father, Eyadema Gnassingbe, who was President from 1968 until his death from a heart attack on 5th February 2005.  Following the death of the latter, the parliament voted to remove a constitutional clause that required a new presidential election after the death of a seating president within sixty-days to allow his son to become President. Following the success of this motion, Faure Gnassingbe was declared the President of Togo just two days after the death of his father. This political move resulted in both domestic and international condemnation. The pressure forced the younger Gnassingbe to resign and call for new elections, which he won with more than 60% of the votes.

Despite the heightened tensions, the opposition parties conveyed their desire to continue with the planned rally towards the ECOWAS bloc. The resilience of the opposition led to the decision by the government to ban all weekday marches on the basis of security issues. One protester said, “we’ve decided to stick it out. We are not afraid of tear gas. The fight must continue.” Eric Dupuy shared the sentiment of the young protestor, adding that “we are going to march whatever the cost and intimidation.”

 

The country’s former colonial power, France, issued a statement regarding the protest saying, “we strongly condemn the recent violence that has left several dead or injured and call for calm on both sides and dialogue.”

The United Nations echoed similar sentiments, adding that the government must “respond to the people’s legitimate expectations” and must “preserve peace and security, which are valuable assets in West Africa.” The UN Special Envoy for West Africa and the Sahel, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, is currently in the West African country holding talks with the President. ECOWAS has remained silent over the current situation in Togo mainly because Gnassingbe is the current chair of the regional institution.

 

The continuation of protests in the major cities has brought a commercial standstill as many shops and businesses remain closed. According to an AFP correspondent, most of the stores in Lomé are closed by midday, and the streets are fairly empty. A small business owner in the capital says, “what is happening is weighing heavily on us. The politicians need to talk and find a solution to this crisis.”

Although anti-Gnassingbe protests in Togo are not uncommon, what makes these demonstrations different from previous experiences is that they are not concentrated only in the southern cities and towns such as the capital city of Lomé.  Inhabitants of towns and cities in the North that the President and his party enjoy support, such as Sodoke, Dopaong and Mango have partaken in these protests and marches.  This new trend is partly due to the rise of Tikpi Atchadam, the leader of National PanAfrican Party (PNP), who is from the North. In August, he led one of the biggest demonstrations in Togo history where more than 100,000 people took to the streets. Additionally, the lack of progress in the Northern regions despite its status as a government stronghold has led many inhabitants to declare their frustrations with the current situation. According to Farida Nabourema, a Togolese activist, “we’ve always given the impression in Togo that Northerners govern and yet the North has always been neglected in terms of infrastructure and investment.”

The next coming weeks will be a test for President Gnassingbe. He must ensure that he does not attempt to hold onto power with the overuse of the military as he has in the last three months. He must listen to the will of the people and not change the constitution, which will allow him to be President until 2030. The protests in his stronghold is a good sign that the Togolese people will not remain complacent to the misuse of power by Gnassingbe.

 

 

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