The opposition in Togo held its first meeting in the capital Lome on Saturday in Lome after more than two years of prohibition. This new start was welcomed by the opposition leader Brigitte Adjamagbo-Johnson.
“I have the feeling that we have just taken yet another step in our struggle to liberate the country. We have demonstrated that it is now possible to organize meetings in Lomé and everywhere in Togo”, declared Brigitte Adjamagbo-Johnson, coordinator of the DMK.
“Political life must resume, the Togolese must mobilize to save this country, which is in very poor condition, 60 years after independence,” she insisted.
Indeed, all opposition demonstrations had been banned since March 2020, after the detection of the first case of Covid-19 in the West African country.
Activists from the Dynamique Monseigneur Kpodzro (DMK), which brings together seven opposition political parties and six civil society organizations, gathered on Saturday, in a small public square in Bè Kodjindji.
According to colleagues in the field, a few gendarmes were positioned in nearby alleys, but no incidents were reported.
The leaders of this group have severely criticized the management of the power in place. They also denounced the “silence” of the authorities on the security situation in the Northern part of the country.
“The government no longer says anything about the terrorist attacks in the north of the country (…) We are all Togolese and must know what is happening with our soldiers,” said Gérard Adja, one of the leaders of the DMK.
Since November 2021, Togo has suffered at least five attacks, including two deadly ones in the far north.