LOME (Reuters) - Togo security forces fired tear gas at hundreds of anti-government protesters carrying out a late night sit-in at an intersection in central Lome as part of a bid to end the 50-year-old Gnassingbe family dynasty, witnesses said on Thursday.

A man holds up a sign which reads, "leave the power", during opposiition protest to call for the immediate resignation of President Faure Gnassingbe in Lome, Togo, September 7, 2017. REUTERS/Noel Kokou Tadegnon

The move to disperse the crowds comes after two days of mass country-wide protests involving tens of thousands of people that have amounted to the biggest challenge to Faure Gnassingbe’s rule since he succeeded his late father 12 years ago.

In the past, security forces have violently suppressed protests, killing at least two people during an opposition march in August and hundreds after the contested election in which Gnassingbe took power in 2005.

But up until late on Thursday, police officers armed with batons had watched passively at protesters wearing the red, pink and orange T-shirts of the opposition, who danced and blew whistles as they wound through the streets of the capital Lome.

It was not immediately clear how the opposition would respond to the security forces’ intervention with tear gas late on Thursday. The head of the main ANC opposition party, Jean-Pierre Fabre, had earlier pledged to remain seated on the tarmac of the Dekon crossroads until Gnassingbe left power.

“We want the end of this 50-year-old Gnassingbe regime. Enough is enough,” Kodjo Amana, a 42-year-old baker, shouted over a chanting crowd earlier in the day.

The protests in the West African country of 8 million people have proceeded despite widespread reports of network outages confirmed by non-governmental organization Internet Without Borders. Other African incumbents in Gabon and Cameroon have used network cuts to control criticism and suppress protests at sensitive times.

Residents said that text messages had also been blocked on Thursday. The communications minister could not be reached for comment, although another minister said earlier this week that the cuts had been carried out for security reasons.

“VERY FRAGILE”

The president’s father Gnassingbe Eyadema seized power in a coup in 1967, a few years after the territory known as “French Togoland” that was once in German hands became independent from colonial power France.

The current president this week sought to appease opponents by tabling a draft bill to reform the constitution and reintroduce a two-term limit that his father scrapped in 2002.

But opposition leaders are skeptical about the implementation of the reforms that the government has stalled on for more than a decade and Prime Minister Komi Selom Klassou confirmed on Thursday that the term limits would not apply retroactively.

That could mean that Gnassingbe, 51 and currently in his third term, could remains in power for two more mandates from the next election, until 2030.

Gnassingbe sent a Tweet from his official account on Thursday, saying that he had met with the U.N. Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel, Mohammed Ibn Chambas, on the subject of reforms. A spokesman for the latter confirmed the meeting without elaborating on its content.

State TV said Thursday evening that parliament, which still needs to approve the bill, will meet for an emergency session on September 12.

However, if the protests resume, analysts say Gnassingbe may find himself isolated amid growing criticism of autocratic rule in West Africa.

“The president’s position is very fragile and we do not think his peers in ECOWAS or his friends in Europe will help him if things get ugly,” said the head of research at NKC African Economics, Francois Conradie.

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Togo, a regional financial hub that aspires to be an African Singapore, is at odds with West African neighbors which mostly have laws restricting presidential mandates.

The government, along with Gambia’s, voted in 2015 against introducing them across the 15 members of the ECOWAS regional body which Gnassingbe currently chairs. Since then, Gambia’s longtime leader Yahya Jammeh has been voted out of power.

African rulers, notably in Rwanda, Burundi and Burkina Faso, have moved to drop term limits in recent years in order to remain in power. In some cases this has sparked strong opposition that has led to violent unrest; in others, leaders have been driven from power, as happened in Burkina Faso.</s>© 2019 Market data provided is at least 10-minutes delayed and hosted by Barchart Solutions . Fundamental company data provided by Morningstar and Zacks Investment Research. Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes, not for trading purposes or advice, and is delayed. To see all exchange delays and terms of use please see disclaimer

© American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat® 2010-2019. All rights reserved.326 E 8th St #108, Sioux Falls, SD 57103 | [email protected] | (844) 978-6257MarketBeat does not provide financial advice and does not issue recommendations or offers to buy stock or sell any security. Learn more</s>The Togolese government has passed a draft bill to reintroduce presidential term limits as hundreds of protesters gather in the capital Lome and other towns.

The cabinet said in a statement after its decision on Tuesday night that the bill will modify Article 59 of the constitution which will address the concerns of the protesters.

The decision by the government comes hours before the planned mass protest called by the six-party opposition coalition CAP 2015 and the Pan-African National Party (PNP).

The protesters were demanding for the revision of the 1992 Constitution whose Article 59 was modified in 2002 allowing Faure Gnassingbe to run for an unlimited term.

They want the original two five-year term limit be restored, a two-ballot system, reform of the Constitutional Court and the Electoral Commission.

A day before the protest, internet connectivity was barred yet unconfirmed images of the protests were posted online showing thousands of people marching in the streets of the capital Lome, northern city of Bafilo, Tchamba in the north among other towns.

Togolese activist Farida Nabourema in a twit said “ some Togolese go to the border where Ghana’s telecommunication networks are accessible to transmit post updates of the protest online”</s>Togolese security services fired teargas late Thursday night to disperse thousands of protesters in the streets of the capital Lome who were determined to stay all night to demand the departure of President Faure Gnassingbe.

The police succeeded in dispersing the crowd who have been demonstrating since Wednesday demanding the revision of the 1992 Constitution to reintroduce presidential term limits.

The protesters marched to the presidency late afternoon where the police had cordoned off the area to prevent access.

After some hours, the police fired teargas to disperse the people who had pitched camp on the main road leading to the presidency, local media report.

Some protesters are reported to have returned to the spot early Friday morning after the repression by the police.

The two-day protest called by the six-party opposition coalition CAP 2015 and the Pan-African National Party (PNP), is a follow up of the massive August 19 and 20 demonstration that saw Togolese nationals in about half a dozen cities around the world joining in.

At least seven people were killed in clashes with security forces during last month’s demonstration in the north of the capital Lome.

27 people were arrested and 15 were handed sentences ranging between five and nine months.

The government on Wednesday passed a draft bill to modify Article 59 of the constitution which will address the concerns of the protesters including the reintroduction of presidential term limits.

Internet was shutdown during the two days of planned protests and mobile phone connectivity was unstable.

The opposition protesters have vowed to continue the protests until the original two five-year term limits are restored including a two-ballot system, reform of the Constitutional Court and the Electoral Commission.

President Faure Gnassingbe succeeded his father Gnassingbe Eyadema who died of a heart attack after spending 38 years in office.

Faure was sworn in with the support of the army and won the 2005 elections leading to deadly protests.

He subsequently won the 2010 and 2015 presidential elections. Faure’s mandate ends in 2020 and it is unclear if he will stand again for re-election.</s>Lome - Thousands of people in Togo took to the streets on Wednesday to demand presidential term limits as anger grows in the small West African nation over the 50-year-rule of the Gnassingbe family.

Internet service was down and phone connections were sporadic, but that didn't stop the scheduled demonstrations aimed at preventing President Faure Gnassingbe from running for a fourth term in 2020 elections.

Security forces killed at least two people and injured several others during similar demonstrations in August, Amnesty International said. Dozens were sent to prison for up to 60 months, according to the human rights group.

The government condemned the August protests, with the interior minister calling them extremist.

A coalition of opposition parties called for the demonstrations. While Gnassingbe has not said he would run again in 2020, the opposition National Panafrican Party has said it suspects he will not quit power unless compelled to step down.

Gnassingbe's father, Eyadema, ruled for 38 years until his death in 2005. Before his death, he modified the constitution to extend his rule. The constitution had allowed for only two presidential terms.

"We have been asking for political reforms since Faure Gnassingbe came to power in 2005 but he managed to dodge us since then," said Tikpi Atchadam, who leads the National Panafrican Party. "Now we are simply demanding a return to the 1992 constitution."

Wednesday's protests took place in the capital, Lome, and in other cities as well as in Ghana and Gabon.

The government announced late on Tuesday that it had drafted a constitutional amendment for the limitation of mandates, calling it an initiative "to favor the preservation of a climate of peace and serenity."

Two years ago a similar bill was rejected in Parliament, where the ruling party holds a majority of seats.

"(The president) can deceive us once or twice, but he is not going to deceive us again this time around," said opposition leader Jean Pierre Fabre, who led Wednesday's protests.
For the second consecutive day, hundreds of thousands of Togolese protest against President Faure Gnassingbé's 50-year family dynasty. Parliament is set to consider presidential term limits when it reconvenes in October.