Togolese authorities block internet access as opponents of President Faure march the second day

Togolese authorities have blocked internet access as opponents of President Faure Gnassingbe marched for a second day against his family’s 50-year rule.

A witness says hundreds of protesters marched from the opposition stronghold of being towards a meeting in central Lome, the capital today. Police later fired tear gas to disperse the protesters.

A man holds up a sign, which reads: “Faure must go”, during an opposition protest calling for the immediate resignation of President Faure Gnassingbe in Lome, Togo, September 6, 2017. Credit: REUTERS/Noel Kokou Tadegnon

United States-based company DYN, which monitors the internet, says traffic dropped off at 09:00 GMT in what critics called a move by the government to suppress protests as other African incumbents have done.

Residents confirmed that text messages had also been blocked.