The third Vice-President of the National Assembly of Togo, André Ablom Johnson, died on Saturday in Lomé at the age of 72, parliamentary sources said on Sunday.

A member of the Union of Forces for Change (UFC) of Gilchrist Olympio, a former charismatic opponent of the regime in place in Lomé, he was for a long time Minister in charge of the Environment.

The president of the National Assembly, Yawa Djigbodi Tsegan, praised him as a great worker.

In recent months, Togo has lost more than a dozen politicians, including Edem Kodjo, former Secretary-General of the OAU, now AU; Fambaré Ouattara Natchaba, former President of the National Assembly, and Mr Yawovi Agboyibor, former President of the opposition Action Committee for Renewal. (PANA/NAN)