The Togolese government used heavy-handed tactics to crack down on protesters opposed to recent constitutional reforms that could cement President Faure Gnassingbé's hold on power, according to human rights groups

Protesters and security forces clashed for a second straight day on Friday in the capital Lomé, with videos showing apparent abuses by security forces.

Police fired tear gas in several neighborhoods of Lomé and reportedly used batons to beat protesters, severely injuring some, according to footage that appears to be from the scene.

Some videos showed what seem to be security units entering homes and assaulting residents with whips and clubs, while groups of men in plain clothes, believed to be auxiliary forces or self-defense units, patrolled parts of the capital with weapons in hand.

Internet access restricted

“The were savagely repressed by law enforcement, in an operation that appears to have been designed to terrorise, not to restore any kind of public order,” Professor David Dosseh, spokesman for a coalition of a dozen civil society groups, said on Saturday in a statement.

Internet access across the West African nation has been restricted, with social media platforms functioning intermittently.

Civil society groups and social media influencers had called for protests on June 26, 27 and 28, after the government’s clampdown on protests early this month.

Faure Gnassingbé, who has ruled since 2005 after the death of his father, was sworn in in May as President of the Council of Ministers.

The powerful role has no official term limits and he is eligible to be re-elected by Parliament indefinitely.

‘Constitutional coup’

Gnassingbe’s former job as national president, a position that is now mostly ceremonial, was given to politician Jean-Lucien Kwassi Savi de Tove after the announcement.

Opposition politicians have denounced the move as a “constitutional coup.”

Demonstrations are rare in Togo because they have been banned in the country since 2022 following a deadly attack at Lome’s main market.

But the latest change in government structure has been widely criticized in a region threatened by rampant coups and other threats to democracy.