Togo on Monday ditched its traditional military parade for the first time as restrictions over the coronavirus pandemic forced it to scale back celebrations of its 60th independence anniversary. The West African nation of around 8 million had been planning major ceremonies across the country to mark its independence from France in 1960. But those were scrapped after President Faure Gnassingbe declared a "state of emergency" on April 1 to try to stop the spread of coronavirus. The leader instead attended a small military ceremony in the courtyard of the presidential palace that lasted only 5 minutes. "In these difficult times which do not allow our fellow citizens to celebrate and pay homage to this long journey that we have known, I would like on our behalf to all say with pride that we will come to the end of this pandemic," Gnassingbe wrote on Twitter. "May courage and determination give us the strength to continue building our nation." Togo has so far recorded 99 confirmed infections from the novel coronavirus, of which six have been fatal. The authorities have banned large gatherings and imposed a nighttime curfew on the capital Lome to try to halt the disease. Togo was one of a string of countries to gain its independence from European colonial masters in 1960, a seminal year for the African continent. Other countries -- including Senegal -- have also had to cancel or downsize celebrations of their independence anniversaries due to the pandemic. ek/spb/del/ach