TOGO SHUTS DOWN SOCIAL MEDIA AMID PROTESTS

In a heartbreaking move to silence its people, the Togolese government has cut off internet access across the nation, hoping to suppress a growing wave of anti-government protests. Social media platforms are functioning intermittently. Over 100,000 courageous citizens have flooded the streets, risking their safety to demand democratic reforms and an end to decades of authoritarian rule under President Faure Gnassingbe. Gnassingbe, who ruled since 2005 after the death of his father, was sworn in again in May as President of the Council of Ministers, a powerful role with no official term limits, allowing him to be re-elected indefinitely.

 Civil society groups and social media influencers called for these protests on June 26, 27, and 28 after the government’s violent clampdown earlier this month. During the protests police used tear gas in several neighborhoods of Lomé and used batons to beat protestors, severely injuring some. Demonstrations are rare in Togo because they have been banned in the country since 2022 following a deadly attack at Lomé’s main market. The latest change in government structure has been widely criticized in a region threatened by rampant coups and other threats to democracy.