Togo: Authorities prohibit planned opposition protest in Lome as of Aug. 8; demonstration originally scheduled at Constitutional Court on Aug. 9 /update 1

As of Aug. 8, government officials have banned a planned opposition sit-in protest at the Constitutional Court in Lome, deeming it an unlawful assembly near sensitive government buildings due to national security concerns. The protest was scheduled to start at 09:00 on Aug. 9 and was organized to denounce constitutional amendments announced in early May. The demonstration was planned by political activist groups affiliated with the Democratic Convention of African Peoples (CDPA), The Democrats, and the Togolese Party. Despite the ban, further related protests remain possible as organizers are unlikely to relent.