The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission has expressed concern over recent social protests in several cities across Togo, particularly in Lomé. In a statement, it called on all stakeholders to exercise restraint and prioritize dialogue to preserve stability.
ECOWAS also expressed solidarity with the affected populations and reaffirmed « its readiness to support efforts to maintain social peace in the Togolese Republic ».
The Togolese capital has experienced a wave of protests in recent weeks driven by both economic and social demands. The situation escalated further following the deaths of several people during last week’s gatherings.
Civil society organizations and opposition parties on Monday called for an international investigation to shed light on the circumstances surrounding the deaths of seven individuals. The citizens’ movement “Togo Debout” stated that the bodies were found in waterways in Lomé, denouncing violence attributed to security forces and militias.
Togolese authorities, for their part, have not confirmed the number of bodies recovered. They condemned what they described as “attempts at political exploitation” and indicated that the deaths were caused by drowning.
Also on Monday, the Conference of Bishops of Togo issued a statement strongly condemning “these unacceptable and unbearable acts of violence, whatever their origins, perpetrators, or justifications.” It is worth noting that about a quarter of the Togolese population is Catholic.
The country, governed by Faure Gnassingbé since 2005, recently adopted a new Constitution establishing a parliamentary system that grants the president a leading role in the new institutional balance.
In this context, the movement “Don’t Touch My Constitution” has called on opposition parties to boycott the municipal elections scheduled for July 17, describing the vote as a “sham election.”