Togo soldiers break up protests against longtime leader

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LOME (Reuters) -Soldiers in Togo used tear gas and batons on Thursday to disperse hundreds of protesters who blocked main roads in the capital to call for the resignation of longtime leader Faure Gnassingbe, Reuters witnesses said.

The gathering organised by bloggers and activists highlighted persisting political strife in Togo, where last month Gnassingbe was given the powerful new role of President of the Council of Ministers that has no fixed term limit.

Gnassingbe, whose family has ruled the West African nation since 1967, had previously served for two decades as president, and opposition parties have described his new appointment as a “constitutional coup” that could extend his rule for life.

Protest organisers called for three days of gatherings, although participants on Thursday were quickly scattered by soldiers, Reuters witnesses said. Many shops remained closed as clashes continued into the afternoon, they said.

Hodabalo Awate, Togo’s minister of territorial administration, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on security forces’ response to the protests.

In the suburbs of the capital Lome, some protesters burned wooden furniture and tyres used for makeshift barricades, sending black smoke billowing above the streets.

“We’re hungry. Nothing works for Togolese youth any more, that’s why we’re going out to protest this morning,” said Kossi Albert, a 30-year-old unemployed man, adding that he was planning to turn out again on Friday.

Togolese authorities arrested dozens of people on June 5-6 during protests against Gnassingbe’s new role as well as what critics described as a crackdown on dissent and a cost-of-living crisis, according to Amnesty International.

Many were quickly released, the rights group said.

Last week, Togo suspended broadcasts of French state-funded international news outlets RFI and France 24 for three months, accusing them of a lack of impartiality and rigour.

(Reporting by Togo newsroom; writing by Anait Miridzhanian; editing by Robbie Corey-Boulet and Mark Heinrich)