Togo: the unresolved cases of child deaths under the Gnassingbé government

On June 16th, Africa observed the Day of the African Child, an occasion this year spotlighting universal access to water, sanitation, and hygiene. This annual commemoration typically features high-level gatherings and pledges for a brighter future. In Togo, government officials predictably adhered to the custom of delivering reassuring speeches. Yet, beneath the veneer of official rhetoric, the stark reality on the ground persists: to retain its grasp on power, the Lomé administration has frequently resorted to armed force, tragically impacting innocent children. This account revisits a sorrowful pattern of unfulfilled commitments and vanishing investigations.

From Soweto to Lomé: the shield of infanticide

The Day of the African Child was initially established to honor the students of Soweto who, in 1976, rose up to demand quality education and reject the imposition of Afrikaans. While numerous nations have since striven to actualize these fundamental rights, the Togolese system appears to have repurposed the suppression of its youth into a final political stronghold.

Safeguarding a child extends beyond mere statements of intent; it necessitates ensuring their dignified birth and development. Within Togo’s healthcare facilities, mothers continue to give birth on the bare floor. Due to a severe lack of resources and infrastructure, maternity wards are frequently overwhelmed, at times resembling veritable nurseries where lives precariously hang by a thread.

As sub-regional and international bodies reaffirm their short, medium, and long-term commitments to children’s welfare, Lomé presents an image of compliance. However, even the slightest dissent from young people against systemic violations of their fundamental rights is met with live ammunition. Tragically, even individuals not participating in demonstrations, merely seeking sustenance, often find themselves added to the growing roster of victims.

Jacques Koutoglo: the drowning theory versus a family’s grief

For nearly a year, the family of Jacques Koutoglo has been seeking justice. The 15-year-old secondary school student was reportedly beaten to death before being cast into the Bè lagoon in Lomé during the initial protests of June 2025. That afternoon, the adolescent was not demonstrating; he was merely trying to find food.

In response to this tragedy, Pacôme Adjourouvi, then the Minister of Human Rights, initially publicly advanced the theory of a «natural drowning» amidst the unrest. He later retracted this stance, announcing the initiation of an official inquiry to ascertain responsibility. Since then, no progress has been made. The minister departed his post without ever disclosing the findings of these investigations. The government’s refusal to permit a memorial mass for young Jacques further deepens the sense of injustice for his inconsolable family.

Joseph Zoumekey and Rachad Maman: silence as the sole response

In 2017, the fate of 13-year-old Joseph Zoumekey already demonstrated that repression spared no age group. Sent by his mother to purchase condiments in the Bè-Kpota district, the child was struck down by a live bullet. It took until 2018 for an independent autopsy, conducted by experts from Amnesty International, to confirm that the cause of death was indeed a gunshot wound, directly contradicting the official narrative. Despite persistent appeals from the NGO to bring the perpetrators to justice, the administration of Faure Gnassingbé has maintained an impenetrable silence.

That same year, in Bafilo, 14-year-old Rachad Maman suffered a similar fate while marching alongside his father to advocate for democratic reforms. Struck by gunfire aimed at the group of demonstrators, his case sparked a wave of international indignation, evidenced by an Amnesty International petition signed by thousands globally. The demand was straightforward: shed light on the incident and prosecute those responsible. This appeal, too, has gone unheeded.

Anselme Sinandaré and Douti Sinalengue: North and South united in sorrow

Further north, in Dapaong, the memory of Anselme Sinandaré, 12, and Douti Sinalengue, 21, endures. In 2012, during a peaceful student demonstration demanding the presence of their teachers in classrooms, both were fatally shot. Over a decade has passed, yet no official proceedings have led to the identification of the shooters within the security forces.

From the far north to the coastal regions, a painful and consistent reality emerges: the lives of children appear to hold little value when juxtaposed against the imperatives of power preservation. Dozens of families are thus stripped of their future, witnessing their offspring—the next generation—sacrificed with complete impunity. This dynamic of repression has persisted, spanning generations since the inception of the Gnassingbé family’s governance.

Despite this, Togo is indeed a signatory to the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, ratified on May 5, 1998. By allowing these crimes to go unpunished and these inquiries to remain unresolved, the authorities in Lomé transmit an unambiguous message to the international community: adherence to treaties ceases precisely where the demands of their political survival commence.