Togo: Protests Against Constitutional Reform Turn Violent

More Than 300 Protesters Gather in Togo’s South

Several hundred protesters gathered in Vogan, a town in southern Togo, on Sunday to express their opposition to the country’s new constitution.

The rally, organized by the National Concertation Council for Change in Togo (CNCC), a coalition of opposition parties and civil society organizations, took place about 60 kilometers from the capital city of Lomé.

Protesters carried banners with slogans like ‘No to unconstitutional government change’ or ‘Constitutional coup d’état’, condemning what they see as an illegitimate reform.

‘The 2024 constitution is completely illegal. It’s a constitutional coup that Togolese will never accept,’ said David Dosseh, spokesperson for the Front for a Stand-up Togo (FCTD), one of the organizations behind the rally.

The new constitution, which came into effect in 2024, has significantly altered the country’s institutions. It abolished direct presidential elections and introduced a parliamentary system.

Opposition groups believe that this reform is aimed at extending President Faure Gnassingbé’s rule indefinitely. In contrast, the government claims that it strengthens the representation of institutions.

Protests over this reform have already led to violence in 2025, resulting in seven deaths according to civil society, while the prosecutor’s office cites five deaths by drowning.

Last month, a court ruling said that this reform constituted ‘a change in unconstitutional government’. The government has rejected this decision, claiming that the court overstepped its authority.