page_title: 2017–2018 Togolese protests
section_title: October 2017
hierarchical_section_title: 2017–2018 Togolese protests / History / October 2017
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: La police est intervenue contre les manifestations dans les rues de Lomé, au Togo, le 18 octobre 2017. (VOA/Kayi Lawson)
context_page_description: The 2017–18 Togolese protests are a significant representation of civil unrest in Togo and against the 50 year rule of the father-son combination of Gnassingbé Eyadéma and Faure Gnassingbé. The protesters demanded that the president honour the 1992 constitution, and demanding that he step down immediately. Gnassingbé offered the protesters the option of enacting the two-term limit set in the constitution effective from 2018, thus ensuring that he could stay in power until 2030. This has been rejected by the opposition. However, on 8 May 2019 the Togolese Parliament voted unanimously to accept this amendment and imposed this non-retroactive term limit on the president's office.
  As the protests continued, the opposition started focusing more on protesting Gnassingbé's rule. Starting in August 2017, the opposition held protests on a near-weekly basis. The scale of the protests have been enormous, with some estimates claiming 800,000 present at one protest in a country of 6.6 million. The demonstrations are also taking place all over the country, even in the north, the traditional power base for the Gnassingbé family.
context_section_description: On 3 October, the United States embassy in Togo issued a security warning concerning transportation issues that could arise because of upcoming protests.  On 4 and 5 October, thousands of protesters marched through Lomé and some created barricades. In response, the Togolese government shut down internet communication and mobile access to the internet. The Togolese government announced a ban on weekday protests on 10 October, though opposition parties said they would defy this ban.
  Alpha Alassane, an imam affiliated with the opposition movement, was arrested in Sokodé on 16 October for allegedly inciting violence with his followers. The arrest fueled tension between the Togolese government and the opposition. A two-day protests started on 18 October throughout Togo. On the first day, four people—one in Lomé and three in Sokodé—were reportedly killed during clashes between protesters and security forces. Yark Damehame, Togo's security minister, denied the reported deaths, saying that nobody was killed in Sokodé on this day. Some protesters in Lomé formed barricades, and police fired tear gas to disperse them. About 300 Togolese nationals attempted to participate in a protest in Accra, Ghana, but the police ruled the demonstration was unlawful and arrested 26 protesters.
  Gambia's Foreign Minister Ousainou Darboe called on Gnassingbe to resign, although he retracted the statement a few days later and said it was a matter for the Togolese people. U.S. Department of State spokesperson Heather Nauert called on the Togolese government to protect its citizens' rights and engage in dialogue with the protesters.
caption: Protests in Lomé, 18 October 2017.
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