Search
  1. Home
  2. West Africa
  3. Togo

Opposition ceremony banned

    KAMPALA
    Togolese Interior Minister General Seyi Memene has banned independence day ceremonies planned by the country's main opposition party, according to media reports at the weekend. Independence day on Tuesday was a national event which could not be taken over by a political party, he said. In a bid to test the right to freedom of assembly, the celebrations had been planned by the Union des forces de changement (UFC), an opposition party led by the exiled politician, Gilchrist Olympio. Olympio, who lives in neighbouring Ghana, said the UFC did not intend to cancel the 41st independence anniversary ceremonies and appealed to supporters not to be intimidated. The UFC has been demanding a re-run of the June 1998 elections. Olympio is the son of the country's first president, Sylvanus Olympio, who was assassinated in a coup in 1963.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join