LOMÉ, Togo — Tens of thousands of people in the small West African nation of Togo have protested in the streets over the last three months, demanding term limits and the resignation of President Faure Gnassingbé, whose family has been in power for five decades.

Toting banners of “Faure must go” and “50 years of dictatorship are enough,” protesters have demonstrated repeatedly across the nation, even as heavily armed security forces have been deployed. Some demonstrations have led to deadly, tear gas-filled clashes with officers firing live rounds and beating protesters.

In two marches last month, 11 protesters were killed, 44 wounded and 55 arrested, organizers of the demonstrations said at a news conference. The minister of security said no one had died and only six arrests were made.

During a protest in September in Mango, a city in northern Togo, a 9-year-old boy was shot dead, according to Amnesty International, which said about 25 people were injured. In August, two protesters were killed in Togo, according to the group.