2017–2018 Togolese protests

Gnassingbé offered the protesters the option of enacting the two-term limit set in the constitution effective from 2018,[2][3] thus ensuring that he could stay in power until 2030.

[4] However, on 8 May 2019 the Togolese Parliament voted unanimously to accept this amendment and imposed this non-retroactive term limit on the president's office.

[18] Opposition parties called for a general strike to take place on 25 August, which slowed business and caused Lomé to enter a security lockdown.

[21] On 5 September, in an effort to disrupt planned protests, the Togolese government cut off the internet, blocked the use of WhatsApp, and filtered international calls.

[30] According to Amnesty International, security forces used batons, bullets, and tear gas against protesters in Mango, killing a 9-year-old boy.

[33] The next day, opposition leaders blamed the government for repressing protests in Northern Togo, and thousands of Togolese participated in anti-government demonstrations.

[38] Alpha Alassane, an imam affiliated with the opposition movement, was arrested in Sokodé on 16 October for allegedly inciting violence with his followers.

[44] Gambia's Foreign Minister Ousainou Darboe called on Gnassingbe to resign,[45] although he retracted the statement a few days later and said it was a matter for the Togolese people.

[46] U.S. Department of State spokesperson Heather Nauert called on the Togolese government to protect its citizens' rights and engage in dialogue with the protesters.

[48] On 7 November the Togolese government released 42 of the protesters who were arrested in September and dropped arson charges against opposition leader Jean-Pierre Fabre.

[53] Gnassingbé visited Sokodé in late November 2017, saying, "My exchanges with the imams and senior figures left me reassured that our country remains indivisible.

"[54] The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) held its 2017 summit on 16 December in Abuja, Nigeria instead of in Togo, likely because of political tension between the government and opposition.

[7] In Accra, Ghana, police arrested twelve members of the Ghana–Togo Solidarity movement, including Bernard Mornah, the chairman of the People's National Convention, for protesting the situation in Togo.

[64] On 15 February, Amnesty International, Front Line Defenders and Africans Rising issued a joint statement criticising Togo's treatment of activists involved in the protests.

[66] However, on 4 February 2018, the day after these mediators suggested that Togo hold talks on constitutional reform, thousands of protesters marched through Lomé.

Heads of state in ECOWAS held talks in Lomé on this day, and they called on Akufo-Addo and Condé to step up their reform efforts and end political violence.

[76] The opposition coalition parties announced on 8 May that they were calling off protests planned in the coming days, citing the lack of security and progress with their objectives.

[78] On 17 June, the coalition called for its supporters to participate in a sit-at-home general strike the next day, and the government urged people to boycott this protest.