Soldiers fired tear gas and beat back protesters in Togo’s capital Lomé on Thursday as hundreds took to the streets demanding the resignation of longtime leader Faure Gnassingbé, whose family has ruled the country for over five decades.

The protests, which saw major roads blocked and businesses shuttered, were called by activists and bloggers outraged by Gnassingbé’s new appointment as President of the Council of Ministers — a position with no term limits that opposition figures have described as a “constitutional coup.”

Demonstrators had planned three days of action, but the first day quickly turned chaotic as security forces dispersed crowds using batons and tear gas. Military jeeps were deployed and at least 10 people were arrested in the opposition stronghold of Bè.

In several areas of Lomé, protesters burned tyres and furniture, with thick smoke rising over the city as concrete barricades were erected.

“We're hungry. Nothing works for Togolese youth any more, that's why we're going out to protest this morning,” said Kossi Albert, a 30-year-old unemployed man. He vowed to return to the streets on Friday.

Heavy police deployment was reported across Lomé, where clashes between protesters and security forces persisted into the afternoon. Shops remained shut as the situation grew tense in the suburbs.

Hodabalo Awate, Togo's minister of territorial administration, did not respond to a request for comment on the conduct of security forces during the protests.

Civil society groups and influencers had called for demonstrations on June 26, 27, and 28, citing government repression, economic hardship, and the suppression of dissent.

The protests follow earlier unrest on June 5 and 6, during which dozens were arrested in demonstrations against Gnassingbé’s new role and a growing cost-of-living crisis. Amnesty International reported that many of those detained were later released.

Demonstrations are rare in Togo, where protests have been banned since 2022 after a deadly explosion at Lomé’s main market. However, the latest political developments have ignited widespread anger in a region already shaken by military takeovers and democratic backsliding.

Last week, the government suspended the broadcasts of French media outlets RFI and France 24 for three months, accusing them of lacking impartiality.

Gnassingbé, who became president in 2005 after the death of his father, was sworn in last month as President of the Council of Ministers. The role allows him to be re-elected indefinitely by parliament. Critics say the move strips away the little that remains of Togo’s democratic checks and balances.

A political alliance known as “Hands Off My Constitution” posted a message on Facebook urging Gnassingbé to “immediately and unconditionally release all of the roughly one hundred political prisoners, and to take urgent measures to restore purchasing power to the population.”

The opposition maintains that the new constitutional changes threaten to keep Gnassingbé in power for life.