Hundreds of Demonstrators Take to the Streets in Vogan, Togo
Demonstrations broke out on Sunday in Vogan, a town in southern Togo, as hundreds of protesters took to the streets to voice their opposition to a recent constitutional reform.
The rally, organized by the Cadré National de Concertation pour le Changement au Togo (CNCC), which brings together several opposition parties and civil society organizations, was held about 60 kilometers from the capital city of Lomé.
The protesters carried banners with slogans such as ‘No to unconstitutional government change’ and ‘Constitutional coup d’état’, denouncing what they see as an illegitimate reform.
‘The 2024 Constitution is totally illegitimate. It’s a constitutional coup that Togolese will never accept,’ said David Dosseh, the spokesperson for the Front Citoyen Togo Debout (FCTD), one of the organizations behind the mobilization.
The new constitution, which came into effect in 2024, has fundamentally altered the country’s institutions. It abolished direct presidential election and introduced a parliamentary system. The current president, Faure Gnassingbé, who has been in power since 2005, now holds the position of President of the Council.
Opposition groups and civil society organizations believe that this reform aims to extend his tenure indefinitely, while the government claims that it strengthens the representation of institutions.
Tensions surrounding this reform have already led to violent protests in 2025, resulting in seven deaths according to the civil society, while the prosecution cites five deaths by drowning.
A court decision on January 29 found that this reform constituted a ‘change in unconstitutional government’, and the government rejected it, arguing that the court exceeded its jurisdiction, limited to controlling human rights and customary law without being able to comment on internal laws.
