Turmoil in Togo

Togolese take to the streets to demand an end to president Gnassingbe rule

Lome, Togo

Protests have continued throughout this week in parts of Togo as thousands of Togolese have taken to the streets to demand an end to the 50-year rule of the Gnassingbe family. The current president Faure Gnassingbe has been ruling the small west African nation from 2005 after his father died while in office. The president's father seized power in a coup in 1967 and ruled for 38 years before his death. When he died in 2005, the military installed his son instead of the national assembly head as was legally required, triggering protests in which at least 500 people were killed.
The opposition has been calling for protests with their demands that the president steps down. Jean-Pierre Fabre, head of the National Alliance for Change while being interviewed by Reuters told reporters, “He has to leave now. We will not accept him staying on any longer.”

ELECTORAL REFORMS

Following protests against his leadership President Gnassingbe Eyadema, introduced a 1992 constitution that brought in notional multi-party democracy and limited presidential terms to two. Ten years later, lawmakers scrapped the term limit so Eyadema could run for another term.
The government has tried to stifle dissent by shutting down the internet. The government has also tried to calm the situation by tabling a draft bill to reform the constitution and reintroduce a two-term limit, but opposition leaders reject it because it could still enable Gnassingbe to rule until 2030.

REVOLUTION
West Africa has in recent years been rocked by protests, with the citizens, mainly young people, clamoring for change. Recent protests in Burkina Faso, Benin, and Gambia have led to regime change as young Africans fight against oppression, high unemployment and lack of basic amenities in their respective countries. We here at the Briefing Room will keep you informed as the crisis unfolds. We must stand in solidarity with the Togolese people against tyranny that has kept them and Africans in general from achieving their highest ideals.