Civil rights groups said at least seven people were killed in the crackdown on protesters, calling on Togo's leader Faure Gnassingbé to resign and release political prisoners.
According to a coalition called Le Front Citoyen Dogo, seven bodies were found from the river in the capital Lome, which accused security forces and militia of committing abuse.
The Togolese government denied that the deaths were related to demonstrations last week.
Now, it threatens to take legal action against protest organizers, saying the protests were a carefully planned “false and hate campaign” from abroad.
Togo's anger grew due to the crackdown on key voices and changed the constitution marked by critics and opposition figures as “institutional coups.”
These protests come a few weeks after Gnassingbé's presidency for twenty years, and his family ruled the country for 58 years – sworn in to serve as a new position as chairman of the Council of Ministers, which has no formal term limit.
Since 2022, West African countries have banned demonstrations and marches, and authorities have cited “safety reasons.”
Before a violent twist on Thursday and Saturday, three-day demonstrations were started in Lome, a three-day online activist and youth-led campaign was held.
Protesters fired tear gas at protesters, who stroked them with stones and other missiles.
Some staunch anti-government protesters participated in the street fighting alongside several areas including opposition strongholds, including Bevey, where police chased the protesters to their hideout.
After that, a coalition of 23 Togolese civil rights organizations – known as the National Platform for National Citizen Space and Development Effectiveness – has since asked the authorities to investigate the bloody police crackdown.
They condemned what they called “disproportionate power of the use of peaceful protesters” and added: “Peaceful protest is a fundamental right, both a recognition of the Togo’s constitution and an international tool approved by our country”.
By Sunday, Calm returned to much of Lome, with the shop operating as usual in the main central markets of Assigamé.
The recent orchestrated regime changes by Togo's leaders continue to arouse resentment. In addition to the new post he could retain for life, Togo's constitutional reforms ended the presidential election and introduced a parliamentary system.
The arrest and psychiatric detention last month on Togolese rapper Narcisse Essowè Tchalla (also known as Aamron), who served as a catalyst for public outrage, eventually ended up being arrested more than 50 times during protests earlier this month.
Although most have been released, at least three people remain in custody.
Other reports by Will Rose
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