Former President Jerry John Rawlings has cautioned the security in Togo to respect the peaceful protests by the civilians calling for an immediate end to the 50-year rule of the current government.

The former Ghanaian leader in a statement Monday, described the situation in the neigbouring country as one of "great concern".

There is uneasy calm in Togo following series of protests across the country with some residents fleeing their homes.

The protesters want the country to return to the use of the 1992 constitution which imposes limits on presidential terms.

But according to former President Rawlings: "The description of an imminent civil war by some commentators shows the extent to which the situation has regressed."

Read the statement below:

STATEMENT BY FORMER PRESIDENT RAWLINGS:

LET’S RESPECT PEACEFUL PROTESTS IN TOGO
 

The situation in Togo raises great concern, the number of people injured keeps increasing and the death toll too.   

The description of an imminent civil war by some commentators shows the extent to which the situation has regressed. 

The recent threats of civil war come as no surprise. However, the intimidating posture of such comments shows clearly how pertinent the need to prevent an escalation beyond this point. Civil war can never bring any gains to the people or government.  

There must be a concise effort to point to how peacefully the people of Togo have declared and agitated for their political right. We must respect their process of getting their cause heard especially as it is characterized by non-violence. 

In the event of a civil conflict, unarmed civilians are those whose blood will be shed the most. 

The protestors could have adopted a violent behaviour by now yet they have kept it civil all this while and as such the government troops must equally adopt strides to ensure there is no regression into civil explosion.