On April 3, 2025, the Freedom Togo-Mouvement de Libération Nationale (Freedom Togo-MLN) expressed its satisfaction following the European Parliament’s adoption of a resolution on April 2, 2025, concerning human rights and fundamental freedoms in Togo. The resolution highlighted the violent attack on Senegalese MP Guy Mario Sagna and other opposition participants during a peaceful rally in Lomé on September 29, 2024. The European Parliament condemned the assault and called on the Togolese authorities to uphold essential human rights principles, including freedom of assembly and expression.
In a statement, Freedom Togo-MLN hailed the European Parliament’s resolution as a significant victory for their lobbying efforts, which have brought international attention to the regime of President Faure Gnassingbé. The resolution, according to the movement, reinforces their diplomatic, political, and media strategy to exert pressure on the Togolese government. In response, Freedom Togo-MLN has announced plans for large-scale demonstrations in Brussels, the USA, and Canada on April 26, 2025, to demand greater international intervention for the liberation of Togo.
The reaction was echoed by the Dynamique pour la Majorité du Peuple (DMP), which also congratulated Freedom Togo-MLN for its persistent lobbying work. The DMP emphasized that this victory is the result of a unified effort by multiple groups, including their own diplomatic delegation to the European Commission in November 2024. The DMP praised the European Parliament’s call for the Togolese government to respect the rights enshrined in the ECOWAS Treaty, especially concerning the freedom to assemble and express oneself.
The ongoing efforts of Togo’s main opposition parties and the recently established diaspora movement, Freedom Togo-MLN, are centered around one shared goal: to end the longstanding rule of the Gnassingbé regime, which has held power in Togo since 1967.
Togolese opposition and movements react to EU Resolution on Human Rights and Freedoms
