Recent anti-government protests in Togo’s capital have left at least seven people dead and many others injured, according to local civic and human rights groups.
The groups, speaking to the media on Sunday, accused security forces and affiliated militias of committing abuses during the demonstrations. They reported that seven bodies were recovered from rivers in Lomé following the unrest.
Togolese authorities have not released an official death toll, but a gendarmerie unit acknowledged two deaths by drowning. The government has yet to comment on the wider claims.
Protests remain uncommon in Togo, where President Faure Gnassingbé has held power since 2005, following the nearly four-decade rule of his father. However, tensions have grown in recent weeks over a series of issues including a new constitutional reform that strengthens presidential authority, rising electricity costs, and a broader crackdown on dissent.
On June 5 and 6, security forces arrested around 50 people—mostly youth—during demonstrations. Most were later released.
Last Thursday, small groups of demonstrators reignited the protests by blocking roads, burning tires, and erecting barricades across parts of Lomé, prompting the closure of many businesses in the capital.
Human rights organisations are calling for independent investigations into the deaths and alleged abuses by security forces.