Overview

• Soldiers and unmarked militiamen used tear gas and batons to clear barricades and disperse hundreds of protesters in Lomé’s Bè, Bè Kpota and Adakpamé districts.
• Organized through social media by youth activists and bloggers, demonstrators have blocked main roads and burned tires to demand the resignation of President Faure Gnassingbé.
• Authorities have arrested dozens of participants since early June, with many released after reporting beatings and mistreatment by security forces.
• The government suspended French state broadcasters RFI and France 24 for three months, accusing them of lacking impartiality and rigor in their coverage.
• Opposition groups decry Gnassingbé’s new role as President of the Council of Ministers without term limits as a constitutional coup that deepens Togo’s democratic backsliding.