Lome, Togo | AFP | A child was killed and at least 25 people were injured Wednesday in Togo as thousands held rival demonstrations over the continued rule of President Faure Gnassingbe, the scion of Africa’s oldest political dynasty. Rival demonstrations in Lome drew thousands a day after the opposition boycotted …
Read More »Togo’s opposition boycotts constitutional reform vote
Lome, Togo | AFP | Togo’s opposition stayed away from parliament on Tuesday, blocking the passage of the government’s bill for political reform and forcing a referendum. The bill was published last week on the eve of protests calling for a revision of the constitution that developed into demands for President …
Read More »Togo ruling party calls rally to drown out opposition
Lome, Togo | AFP | Togo’s ruling presidential party on Monday urged supporters to take to the streets to coincide with planned opposition demonstrations against the slow pace of political reform. Georges Kwawu Aidam, the first vice-president of the Union for the Republic (UNIR) told AFP there would be marches …
Read More »Togo panel approves controversial constitutional reform plan
Lome, Togo | AFP | A parliamentary panel in Togo on Friday approved a controversial bill to revamp the constitution and introduce a presidential term limit, after days of protests against the regime of Faure Gnassingbe, the scion of Africa’s oldest political dynasty. After a closed-door session, ten members of the …
Read More »Constitutional reform in Togo ‘urgent’: parliament head
Lome, Togo | AFP | Lawmakers in Togo will begin to look at a constitutional reform bill from as soon as the end of this week, the head of the National Assembly said on Wednesday. Parliamentary groups and commissions met to read the government proposals, which came after opposition calls for …
Read More »Togo bucks the trend of political reform in W.Africa
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | His family has ruled Togo for more than 50 years but President Faure Gnassingbe has in the last week faced unprecedented public pressure to step down. He and his country stand alone in West Africa in resisting calls for constitutional reform, even as parliament begins …
Read More »Despite protests, reform off the menu as Togo MPs meet
Lome, Togo | AFP | Opposition lawmakers in Togo forced the adjournment of parliament on Tuesday in protest at a constitutional reform bill being left off the day’s agenda, despite days of anti-government protests. The president of the National Assembly, Dama Dramani, agreed to suspend the extraordinary session as lawmakers …
Read More »Togo postpones Africa-Israel summit
Lome, Togo | AFP | Togo on Monday cancelled an upcoming Africa-Israel summit, citing lack of time to prepare, after days of anti-government protests targeting President Faure Gnassingbe. The summit was due to have been held in the capital, Lome, late next month and was billed as a chance for …
Read More »Togo opposition unconvinced by reform bill proposal
Lome, Togo | AFP | Togo opposition leaders on Sunday said they were not hopeful of political change, as parliament prepared to discuss potential constitutional reform after days of huge anti-government protests. Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets this week calling for presidential term limits and denouncing President …
Read More »Mobile internet off in Togo before opposition protests
Lome, Togo | AFP | Mobile internet services were off in Togo on Thursday, where new opposition protests were planned after huge anti-government demonstrations across the country. On social media such as Facebook and Twitter, which were still accessible using intermittent Wi-Fi access in the capital, Lome, users called for …
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