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According to the media regulator, Togo announced on Monday the three-month suspension of French media outlets RFI and France 24, accusing them of disseminating “inaccurate and biased” information.
This decision follows recent protests against the government that shook the capital city, Lome. Dozens were detained after the police used tear gas to disperse demonstrators during the night of June 5 to 6 in various neighbourhoods, including areas close to the presidential palace.
“Several recent broadcasts relayed inaccurate, biased, and even factually incorrect statements, undermining the stability of republican institutions and the country’s image,” Togo’s High Authority of Audiovisual and Communication (HAAC) said in a statement.
The government added that over 50 individuals had been released, although several remain in police detention.
The demonstrators gathered in response to a call from popular rapper Aamron to protest against the arrests of anti-government activists, increasing electricity costs, and constitutional changes implemented by President Faure Gnassingbe’s administration, which began in 2005 after the death of his father, who had ruled for nearly 40 years.
The urgency for protests grew after Aamron, whose real name is Essowe Tchalla, resurfaced in a video a week and a half after being taken from his home in Lome on May 26. Before his detention, he had been part of the movement advocating for protests.
However, in the video, he expressed regret to the president and mentioned that he was in a psychiatric facility due to what he termed “severe depression.”
On Thursday, Togolese opposition parties and civil society groups called for Gnassingbe’s resignation, advocating a civil disobedience campaign following the youth-led demonstrations last week.
In a press release, the National Alliance for Change (ANC), the Democratic Forces for the Republic (FDR), and several civil society organisations stated that he “must hand power back to the Togolese people, who hold national sovereignty.”
The organisations implored the public to engage in civil disobedience starting June 23 to undermine the “illegitimate” regime.
Since 2022, protests have been prohibited in Togo following a fatal attack at Lome’s main market, though public gatherings are still permitted.
