Source : Sahel weather January 2026

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At the beginning of this year, the news in Togo was marked by the release of Steeve Rouyar, a French national, after eight months in prison. He returned home on January 1, after being accused of threatening state security during a large demonstration in Lomé against rising electricity prices, the arrest of critics, and the new constitution removing presidential term limits. This release comes as 1,511 prisoners have been pardoned by the Togolese authorities. The French Foreign Ministry, for its part, declined to comment on the merits of the case, describing it as an "individual legal matter." At the same time, Kpatcha Gnassingbé, half-brother of the current president of the Council and former defense minister, was also released from prison after 16 years of detention for undermining state security.

According to state authorities, these pardoned prisoners are part of a process of social appeasement and prison decongestion in Togo, and not a process of impunity. According to the President of the Council, Faure Gnassingbé, "this is neither impunity nor weakness in the face of serious crimes. Rather, it is about preventing mistakes or moments of misjudgment from becoming broken destinies. Above all, it is about allowing our country to look to the future." In his traditional end-of-year address to the nation, he set out three main priorities: "Protect, unite, transform." He also took the opportunity to revisit the reforms of the Fifth Republic, which aim to sustainably rebuild the country's political and institutional governance.