The Hindu : International : Togo protesters turn violent

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Feb 15, 2005

International

International

Togo protesters turn violent

LOME (Togo): Police in riot gear faced off with crowds blocking roads and intimidating residents on Monday, the day the Opposition called a general strike to protest the army's installation of Faure Gnassingbe to succeed his late father as President. Elsewhere, businesses shut down in response to the strike call and the tension that has been growing since Gnassingbe Eyadema died of a heart attack on February 5 after 38 years of oppressive rule. His son has defied international as well as domestic calls to step down. People attempting to move through barricades in cars or motorcycles around the Opposition stronghold in Lome's Be neighbourhood were chased away by the mobs, sometimes even beaten for breaking the strike. ``Liberate Togo! Liberate Togo!'' the crowds shouted as they gave chase to a terrified old woman on the back of a motorcycle taxi, who luckily got away. Soldiers armed with rifles and long sticks patrolled Lome's beachfront on foot, while trucks packed with riot police moved slowly through the burned streets of Be. — AP

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