Faure Gnassingbé: The Making of a Dynasty, Not a Democracy

 (Published: June 2018) - By Komlan Eyram Mensah Dossou

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Since 2005, Togo has lived under the shadow of a dynasty that masquerades as a democracy. Faure Gnassingbé, son of the late General Gnassingbé Eyadéma who ruled Togo for 38 years, inherited power in what many described as a military-backed constitutional coup.

His presidency has since been marked by rigged elections, repression of dissent, and the slow erosion of Togolese civil liberties.As a Togolese citizen and activist, I — Komlan Eyram Mensah Dossou — have watched with increasing alarm as our republic transformed into a personalized regime, with Faure sitting on the throne of the state as if it were a family heirloom.

Democracy demands accountability. It demands that power be transferred through the will of the people. But in Togo, power is kept by manipulating the system. The 2010, 2015, and 2020 elections were all characterized by massive irregularities, with opposition candidates routinely harassed, and voter rolls manipulated.

The regime holds elections not to give people a voice, but to maintain an illusion of legitimacy.

Under Faure, constitutional changes have always favored the regime. Term limits were removed and only reintroduced when it became politically expedient.

Yet even with term limits restored, Faure’s previous terms were not counted — a trick to reset the clock on his presidency. This shows how the rule of law in Togo is at the mercy of power, not principle.

Beyond elections, the situation on the ground is dire. Peaceful protesters have been met with tear gas, rubber bullets, and even live ammunition.

From Sokodé to Lomé, families mourn sons and daughters who dared to raise their voices. The press is muzzled. Activists are arrested. Some disappear.

The dynasty doesn’t end with Faure. His family and close allies dominate key positions in the military, the economy, and public institutions. It's not just a political system; it’s a network of loyalists who profit while the people suffer.

But resistance grows. The youth are awakening. The diaspora is speaking out. The time of silence is over. We must remember: democracy is not a gift from the powerful. It is a right earned and defended by the people.

I, Komlan Eyram Mensah Dossou, call on every Togolese citizen — at home and abroad — to resist the myth that our nation belongs to one family.

Togo belongs to all of us. The path to liberation may be long, but it begins with truth. And the truth is this: what we have is not a democracy. It is a dynasty, and we must end it.

                                                           Komlan Eyram Mensah Dossou