Togo holds two French filmmakers for over two weeks, ministry confirms

France's foreign ministry told AFP on Tuesday that two French citizens have been held in Togo for more than two weeks. According to local media, both work as journalists and directors for a French production company. They were arrested on July 27 and are now subject to a judicial investigation, though the ministry gave no further details on the reasons for their detention.

Political and security backdrop

Togo has been governed since 2005 by Faure Gnassingbe, who took power after his father had ruled the country for 38 years. Since late 2021, the nation's far north has faced repeated incursions by jihadist fighters operating from neighbouring Burkina Faso. The following year, the government declared a state of emergency in the affected northern region, a measure that has been extended several times since, most recently in February for another full year.

Pressure on media

In June 2025, Togolese authorities suspended broadcasts of Radio France Internationale and France 24 for three months, accusing them of spreading "inaccurate and tendentious" reports about anti-government demonstrations that shook the country that same month. In the press freedom index compiled by Reporters Without Borders, Togo ranks 97th out of 180 countries.