Togo Country Report - April 2026
By the West Africa Task Force
April 2026
Togo has faced political crisis since its controversial 2024 constitutional reform, which the opposition widely views as President Faure Gnassingbé’s attempt to extend his 20-year rule. In May 2025, Gnassingbé assumed the post of President of the Council of Ministers without a popular vote.
Severe repression and violence followed. In June 2025, fourteen individuals reported torture or ill-treatment after anti-repression protests. Authorities targeted opposition members, with protestors alleging unlawful killings and abductions of critics, supported by claims medical certificates. Despite complaints filed with the military court, no investigations occurred by late 2025. Security forces pervasively use torture to extract confessions and intimidate opponents. Without national convictions, official training, or a strong judiciary, and with victims fearing reprisals, impunity prevails.
Jihadist attacks heavily impact Togo due to its porous border with Burkinabe province Kompienga, an active zone for Al-Qaeda affiliate Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimeen (JNIM). Kpendjal prefecture is worst hit due to a lack of state support, though violence has spread beyond the regions that directly borders Burkina Faso. Violence has also particularly afflicted the Savanes region in northern Togo. The government has maintained a state of emergency in the region since June 2022 to contain cross-border spillover.
Adapting tactics, northern armed groups carry out coordinated attacks, leading to unprecedented violence against both civilian and military targets. Terrorist attacks killed over 30 people in 2023, while President Gnassingbé cited 140 deaths from late 2021 and mid-2023. In July 2025, the foreign minister reported JNIM had killed at least 60 people that year, including 54 civilians. Militants frequently deploy improvised explosive devices (IEDs) against the Togolese Armed Forces, risking civilian lives. To “better protect the border”, the government has displaced roughly 12,000 residents.
Savanes’ isolation compounds challenges for residents who lack infrastructure and face daily disruptions from emergency measures. In early 2023, a dozen healthcare centers closed after staff fled insecurity.
To counter the terrorist threat and increasing violence in the country, the government established the Inter-ministerial Committee for the Prevention and Fight against Violent Extremism, aimed at preventing youth radicalization and supporting deradicalization efforts. Other national initiatives to prevent terrorism include Opération Koundjoaré and the Emergency Program to Strengthen Community Resilience and Security (PURS). Togo also supports regional and international cooperation to address these threats.
Intense political confrontation grips Togo as contested constitutional reform sparked opposition protests that faced severe government repression, including detentions, torture, abductions, and widespread intimidation. Due to this situation, Genocide Watch considers Togo to be at Stage 6: Polarization.
Genocide Watch recommends:
The Togolese Government should establish an independent mechanism in collaboration with the United Nations to investigate complaints of torture and ill-treatment by security forces.
The Togolese Government should protect all citizens, including the political opposition, from protest-related violence and investigate reported unlawful killings and abductions.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and West African governments should strengthen regional cooperation and dialogue to prevent and address terrorism.
The Togolese Government should strengthen national initiatives to combat radicalization and increase their capacity to prevent violent extremism.
