At least seven people were killed and many others wounded during recent anti-government protests in the Togolese capital Lome, according to estimates provided to the press by civic groups on Sunday.

Campaigning groups and rights organisations denouncing "abuses committed by members of the Togolese security forces and militias" said seven bodies had been recovered from rivers in the capital.

Togolese authorities have yet to provide an official toll from the late-June protests, but a gendarme unit has mentioned two deaths by drowning.

Protests are rare in Togo, where President Faure Gnassingbe has maintained his grip on power since 2005, succeeding his father who ruled for nearly four decades.

Tens of people arrested

But on Thursday morning, small pockets of up to dozens of protesters blocked streets, burned tyres and wooden barricades in the capital, where many businesses remained closed.

People have been protesting against a crackdown on critical voices, rising electricity prices and a constitutional reform that allowed Gnassingbe, now 59, to further consolidate his power.

On June 5 and 6, police arrested about 50 protesters, mainly young people. Most have since been released.