27/6/2025–|Last update: 12:19 (Mecca time)
Since last Wednesday morning, the Tofuli capital, the Togolar Lome, has been witnessing a new wave of popular protests against the backdrop of recent political reforms and high prices, amid heavy security spread and fears of the slipping of the situation towards violence.
Most of the stores closed their doors, while scenes of burning tires and wooden barricades spread in a number of Lumi neighborhoods, which turned into a confrontation arena between the security forces and groups of protesters.
Security used tear gas canisters to disperse separate youth gatherings.
Background of protests
These moves came in response to the second call during the month of June, launched by civil society organizations and influential figures through the media, in protest against the continued detention of opposition votes and the high electricity prices, in addition to the recent constitutional amendments that led to the appointment of President Fawry Ghannasingby as Prime Minister – the highest position in the country – without specifying a ceiling for its mandate.
The arrest of the Togolese rapper, “Amron”, known for his sharp criticism of power, sparked widespread anger in early June.
Despite his later release from a psychiatric hospital, the authorities had arrested about 50 other protesters, most of whom were released later.
For her part, she called Amnesty International To conduct an independent investigation into allegations that some demonstrators were subjected to torture, accusations that the government denied its knowledge of, considering that what is happening is an “attempt to sow chaos,” according to the Minister of Social Dialogue, Gilbert Parara, who stressed the necessity of holding accountable those who described as “illegal situations.”