Latest Togo News

Takeaways from The Associated Press' reporting on seafarers who are abandoned by shipowners in ports

May. 30, 2024 07:19 AM EDT

The United Nations over the last decade has logged an increasing number of crew members abandoned by shipowners around the world, leaving sailors aboard months and sometimes years without pay. More than 2,000 seafarers on some 150 ships were abandoned last year. And the problem shows...

Stuck at sea for years, a sailor's plight highlights a surge in shipowner abandonment

May. 30, 2024 07:08 AM EDT

Abdul Nasser Saleh says he rarely got a good night’s sleep during the near-decade he spent working without pay on a cargo ship abandoned by its owner at ports along the Red Sea. By night, he tossed and turned in his bunk on the aging Al-Maha, he said, thinking of the unpaid wages...

Togo's longtime leader signs a new constitution that eliminates presidential elections

May. 07, 2024 09:13 AM EDT

LOME, Togo (AP) — Togo's president has signed a new constitution eliminating presidential elections, his office said late Monday, a move that opponents say will allow him to extend his family's six-decade rule. Civil society groups in the West African nation have called for protests. ...

Togo’s ruling party wins a majority in parliament, likely keeping a dynasty in power

May. 05, 2024 11:47 AM EDT

LOME, Togo (AP) — Togo’s ruling party has won a majority of seats in the West African nation's parliament, the election commission said as it announced provisional results of last week's vote that was rejected by the opposition as part of a move to extend President Faure Gnassingbe’s tenure....

Togo votes in parliamentary election testing support for proposal that could keep dynasty in power

Apr. 29, 2024 20:47 PM EDT

LOME, Togo (AP) — People in Togo voted in parliamentary elections Monday that tested support for a proposed new constitution that would scrap presidential elections and give lawmakers the power to choose the president. The opposition and religious leaders say the legislation is an...

Authorities in Togo are cracking down on media and the opposition, report says ahead of election

Apr. 24, 2024 16:46 PM EDT

LOME, Togo (AP) — Authorities in Togo have repressed the media and prevented civilians from gathering to protest peacefully, Amnesty International said in a report published Wednesday, ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled to take place at the end of this month. Amnesty...

Togo bans protests over a canceled presidential election as tensions rise

Apr. 10, 2024 07:43 AM EDT

LOME, Togo (AP) — Togo’s government said a planned three-day protest this week over the arrest of opposition figures and new legislation scrapping president elections was illegal, a move that heightened tensions in the West African nation that has been ruled by the same family for almost 60...