Togolese Protests Seeking President Gnassingbé’s Ouster Blocked

(Bloomberg) -- Security forces in Togo on Saturday blocked a protest by opposition parties and civil groups against the continued rule of President Faure Gnassingbé and his family, now in its 58th year.

Police and military personnel descended on the streets of the capital, Lomé, to stop people from gathering. Authorities also surrounded the residences of opposition leaders and a former Minister of the Armed Forces Essozimna Marguerite Gnakade, who endorsed the demonstrations, to prevent them from taking part in the march.

“I was blocked at home by the police, who told me that they had been instructed not to let me leave my house,” Kafui Adjamagbo-Johnson, an opposition lawmaker, said. “I am angry because I was prevented from exercising my right to protest.”

Togo has seen regular protests against the regime of the 59-year-old leader since his appointment in May as head of its powerful council of ministers, a new position that carries no term limits.

The demonstrations in the tiny West African nation gained steam when Gnakade, a sister-in-law of the president, told the military to back the demonstrators. Many of Togo’s neighboring countries are ruled by military juntas.

Gnakade didn’t respond to phone calls and a text message seeking comment.

Animosity toward Gnassingbé’s government stems from the lack of improvement in the livelihoods of ordinary people during the decades-long-rule by his family.

Gnassingbé has ruled since the 2005 death of his father, Gnassingbé Eyadéma, who seized power in a 1967 coup. 

While Togo’s economic growth has averaged 5% since 2011 — surpassing sub-Saharan Africa’s 3.1%, according to the International Monetary Fund —  35% of the population lives on less than $3 a day, World Bank data shows.

Security agencies have arrested protesters, with at least 30 people still in detention, said David Dosseh, a spokesman for Front Citoyen Togo Debout, a non-governmental organization.

“The city was completely gridlocked by police and armed forces,” said Nathaniel Olympio, a spokesman for Touche Pas à Ma Constitution, an alliance of political and civil organizations. “We will find other ways to continue the fight until the end of this dictatorship.”

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--With assistance from Monique Vanek.

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