Young people in Togo have taken to the streets over the last few days, calling for the resignation of President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, whose family has been in power for 58 years. On Thursday, June 26, hundreds of protesters blocked off streets in the capital city of Lomé and faced off with police resistance, who responded with tear gas and arrests.

People on the ground say armed forces also used firearms with live ammunition. Online, young Togolese people have also kicked off a movement under the #FreeTogo hashtag. The hashtag is filled with tweets calling for Gnassingbé's resignation as well as videos of protesters getting arrested and harassed by military officers during the protests.

In April, Gnassingbé, whose term as President was due to expire, was sworn in as the President of the Council of Ministers, a position with an indefinite term limit and unprecedented power. Experts say it is a clear tactic for the President to remain in power for as long as he chooses.

For the young people protesting, this is a fight for radical change. Alongside the resignation of Gnassingbé, protesters are also calling for "The revocation of the Fifth Republic, freedom of expression, basic infrastructure, and a dignified life—essentially, a complete overhaul of the system to create a country governed by the rule of law," Kodjovi, a Togolese protester, tells OkayAfrica.

Recent reports by Amnesty International reveal that at least seven people have been killed as a result of police resistance to the protests. Many more have been injured. The government, in response to allegations of involvement in these killings, has denied the allegations and threatened legal action against the protest organizers. Calling it a "campaign of disinformation and hatred."

According to Kodjovi, Togo operates like a "dictatorship" where freedom of speech, particularly when used to criticize the government, is severely punished. The most recent example of this sparked these ongoing protests. Last month, music artist Aamron made a TikTok post criticising the government. On May 27, he was "kidnapped, imprisoned in a psychiatric centre, and unwittingly subjected to unknown injections before being released on June 26, 2025," Kodjovi says.

Kodjovi adds that, like Aamron, dissenting voices are often locked up in overcrowded prisons, and torture is systematically used - all without trial or judicial process. "We have no right to demonstrate or assemble either. Political opponents are imprisoned, tortured, or murdered; the Togolese people lack fundamental freedom."

Family tradition

The Gnassigbé family has been in power for over five decades. Their reign began with Gnassingbé Eyadéma, who entered office in 1986 and died in office in 2005. His son, Faure Gnassingbé, assumed office in 2005 and has remained there to date.

In 2018, the 50th year of Gnassingbé's rule, protests erupted on the streets of Lomé, demanding the President's resignation. Amnesty International reported that four people died in that protest, with many others injured. This prompted a wave of clampdowns and a temporary ban on protests.

"After 20 years in power, Gnassingbé had not built a hospital or a school; dilapidated roads, unemployed youth, and a high cost of living despite the exploding public debt, there is no fundamental infrastructure since the 20years of Faure's presidency. A corrupt minority enriched itself at the expense of the people," Kodjovi says.

Togo, with a population of 8.5 million people, is a low-income country with a life expectancy of 63.6 years. Young Togolese people say the government has failed to improve the dire living conditions in the country. "In 20 years, Gnassingbé has plunged Togo into an unprecedented economic situation," A.E.M., another young Togolese protester who chose to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, tells OkayAfrica. "Young people are left to fend for themselves, with almost no prospect of a decent future. Togo is over-indebted, young people are unemployed, the population is hungry, basic needs are unavailable, even in Lomé."

Similar pattern

Across Africa, young people have been calling for an end to draconian leadership and an age of fresh political voices. Just as the people of Togo demand a new regime, Kenyans have been protesting, calling for the resignation of President Ruto, whose policies, ranging from high taxes to political negligence, have been widely criticized. As with Togo, heavy military resistance is often used to suppress these demonstrations.

"Many people were beaten until they bled," ET, another Togolese protester and on-ground observer who chose to remain anonymous, tells OkayAfrica. "The militiamen, under orders from the authorities, did not hesitate to enter homes and assault inhabitants. Disappearances and kidnappings took place. To give you an idea, a young man was live-streaming on TikTok when the police broke into his home, smashing doors and windows to arrest him on camera. About 40 protesters are now being held in the civil prison in Lomé."

The goal for many of the Togolese people is to see an end to an era in which the country's resources have been severely underutilized. Togo is home to the only deep-water port in West Africa, significant mineral deposits, and a rich culture and tradition. Additionally, 60 percent of the nation's population is under 25, accounting for a thriving but underdeveloped labor market.

"We simply want Togo to develop and offer better prospects to its children," A.E.M. says. "We want a democratic change of leadership because this government has nothing to show for itself. This change, which we hope for, will allow a new beginning for this country, which has been held back since 1963, when the late Sylvanus Olympio, who aimed to drive this progress, was assassinated," ET adds.

As the #FreeTogo protests show no signs of slowing down, despite administrative backlash and a possible internet shutdown that could cripple the growing online outcry, the goal for many is to see a nation that works, at least within their lifetime.

Following February's senatorial election, Togo has finally transitioned into a parliamentary government system, in which the ruling party, Union for the Republic (UNIR), won 34 of the 41 available seats. Over the weekend, Faure Gnassingbé, president for two decades, was inaugurated as the President of the Council of Ministers, now the highest executive office in the country. The presidency is now a ceremonial role.

UNIR continues to hold the overwhelming majority across both chambers of the national legislature, giving the party and Gnassingbé a firmer grip on power for the foreseeable future. Opposition and civil society leaders have denounced the constitutional reform that changed the country’s government system, terming it a political coup, as Gnassingbé can now continue to hold power indefinitely without directly seeking votes.

No term limit is assigned to the President of the Council of Ministers, a role reserved for the leader of the majority party in parliament.

Togo’s parliamentary elections, which were postponed twice due to a controversial constitutional reform, trigger an effective change from the presidential system of governance to a parliamentary one. Over the weekend, the head of the country’s electoral commission, Dago Yabre, announced on a national broadcast that the ruling Union for the Republic (UNIR) party won 108 of the 113 seats in the national assembly, following the April 29 polls. Yabre also stated that 61 percent of registered voters participated in the elections.

With the UNIR retaining its dominance in the legislative house, long-term President Faure Gnassingbé gets a runway to stay in power, should his party continue to remain in the majority in parliament.

In accordance with the newly approved constitutional reform, parliament now has the power to elect the president for a single four-year term. This means Gnassingbé can remain in office when his current term ends next year, continuing on till 2029, without facing voters. Even as his approval ratings have plummeted, Gnassingbé has been in office since 2005, after the death of his father who ruled Togo for almost four decades.

The reforms also intend to make the presidency more of a ceremonial post, which would significantly strip the incumbent of his powers. However, Gnassingbé is also eligible to slip into the newly created office, president of the council of ministers — a post akin to that of a prime minister — which is meant to be occupied by the leader of the majority party in parliament.

There are no term limits to being the president of the council of ministers, a role that will command executive power under the constitution change. Gnassingbé is expected to continue ruling Togo, a move the UNIR and its loyalists claim is better representative of the public’s mandate.

Opposition groups and many citizens denounced the constitutional changes, with planned protests banned by the government. After boycotting the 2018 parliamentary elections, citing irregularities in the candidate registration process and the country’s history with generally unreliable elections, opposition parties were hoping to wrestle a significant number of parliament seats, but could only muster wins in five.

Regional observers from the Economic Community of West African States said that they were satisfied with how the election was conducted, but opposition parties have alleged irregularities in the vote. Leading up to the elections, authorities banned foreign media from covering the elections following the arrest and deportation of French journalist Thomas Dietrich — who was reportedly assaulted by government security agents.

The UNIR will now control the national assembly, the newly created senate, which political opposition believes to be a rubber stamp apparatus for President Gnassingbé’s continued rule.