Essissomna Marguerite Gnakadé, a former defence minister, was arrested on September 17, 2025, after months of outspoken criticism of President Faure Gnassingbé’s administration and recent constitutional reforms. She was Togo’s Minister of the Armed Forces from 2020 until her dismissal in 2022.
According to relatives, about 30 armed officers surrounded her Lomé residence at dawn, seized her phones and laptop, and took her into custody. Gnakadé has been one of the government’s most prominent critics, denouncing the violent crackdown on protests in June that left five people dead and repeatedly questioning the president’s political decisions.
She and other opposition figures were also harassed by security forces during a planned march on August 30, 2025, a pattern that reflects the growing pressure on dissenting voices in Togo. The arrest of Marguerite for supporting the grievances of the Togolese population highlights the repressive nature of a regime that has increasingly resorted to arrests and intimidation to silence dissenting voices in recent months.
This strategy seems intended to silence opposition and stop citizens from freely exercising their right to protest to voice their grievances. It also creates fear and political uncertainty, while treating political activism as a crime and ignoring the genuine concerns of the Togolese population. The Media Foundation for West Africa condemns the arrest and calls for Gnakadé’s immediate release. Togolese authorities must uphold the rights to free expression and peaceful assembly guaranteed by national law and international human rights standards.
