On July 27, 2026, Togo’s former defense minister, Marguerite Gnakadé, entered her eleventh month behind bars by launching a hunger strike. Her protest targets the harsh conditions she and dozens of other political detainees endure in Togolese prisons.
Her ordeal began nearly a year earlier, on August 30, 2025, when protests erupted across Lomé over soaring living costs and a controversial constitutional reform that turned Togo into a parliamentary system. Gnakadé, who served as defense minister from 2020 to 2022—the first woman in the role—publicly questioned President Faure Gnassingbé’s leadership. Within weeks, she was arrested on September 17, 2025, and charged with criticizing the government’s performance.
Her detention reflects a broader crackdown. Since the 2024 constitutional change stripped presidential term limits, hundreds of activists, including many from the Gen Z movement, have been jailed. While a presidential pardon freed over 1,500 prisoners in late December 2025, rights groups estimate roughly 70 remain incarcerated for political reasons—Gnakadé among them.
From power to protest: the fall of a former insider
Gnakadé’s story is one of irony. Once a key figure in the ruling elite—both as defense minister and through her late husband’s ties to the president—she became a vocal critic of the very system she once served. Her stance cost her freedom, but not her defiance. “We don’t strike from despair, but from conviction. When justice is silent, our bodies become our last voice,” she declared alongside fellow detainees last November.
Her case stands out even among high-profile prisoners. Unlike Kpatcha Gnassingbé, Faure’s half-brother released after 16 years for a coup attempt, or General Félix Kadanga serving 20 years for involvement in a military killing, Gnakadé’s imprisonment stems solely from her political dissent. She remains the only one of the three still jailed for exercising free speech.
Hunger strikes: the last resort in Togo’s prison crisis
Gnakadé’s hunger strike is not an isolated act. Since late 2025, political prisoners have increasingly turned to self-starvation to demand better treatment. In November, 37 detainees joined the protest. The following month, activists Grâce Koumayi and Abdoul Aziz Goma endured 50 days without food in Lomé’s civil prison, forcing authorities to address their demands. Human rights organizations now urge immediate medical access for all striking inmates, warning that at least nine prisoners have died in custody since the repression began.
International calls for Togo to address detention abuses
Local groups like Touche pas à ma Constitution and opposition parties continue pressing for the release of political detainees. They highlight reports of torture, deteriorating health among strikers, and the deaths of inmates under suspicious circumstances. Their plea is clear: unconditional release of all remaining political prisoners, including Gnakadé, whose health has visibly declined after nearly a year in detention.
Togo’s constitutional shift fuels ongoing unrest
The 2024 constitutional reform, which replaced presidential elections with a parliamentary system under Gnassingbé’s leadership as Council of Ministers president, sparked widespread outrage. Critics labeled it a ‘constitutional coup,’ igniting the 2025 youth-led protests. The government’s violent response—mass arrests and detentions—has left a legacy of repression that persists today. Despite the December pardon, activists argue that the core issue—political imprisonment—remains unresolved.