Demonstrator Dies During Togo Protest —Security Minister

A demonstrator died Saturday in Bafilo, northern Togo, during an opposition rally for presidential term limits, the minister for security told AFP.

“A group of youths were marching towards the centre of the town when they were dispersed” by security forces, General Yark Damehame said.

“Unfortunately, we registered a death. At the moment, the circumstances of his death have not been elucidated,” he added while insisting that the protester had not been shot dead.

Local inhabitants reached by AFP said the victim had been beaten to death by paramilitary gendarmes.

One witness who asked to remain anonymous said, “He was arrested by security forces while we were marching, and beaten to death.”

The Panafrican National Party had called for protests across the country, but security forces quickly locked down sites that had been selected, witnesses said.

The PNP is calling for presidential term limits and the release of around 60 people who have been arrested during demonstrations by 14 opposition parties between 2018 and 2018.

Togo President Faure Gnassinbge has held office since 2005, when he succeeded his father, General Eyadema Gnassingbe, who ruled with an iron fist for 38 years.

(AFP)