Oct 18 (Reuters) - Togo's transport ministry suspended

the ride-hailing app Yango owned by Russia's tech giant Yandex,

over security concerns just months after it began operating in

the West African nation.

In a statement on Thursday, the ministry said that Yango

began operating in June without authorization and in violation

of the country's procedures.

The ministry said the decision was taken over concerns for

the safety of passengers, order and legal procedures.

"The activities of the operator YANGO are therefore

suspended across the entire national territory," the statement

said.

Yango said the ride-hailing company operated independently

from Yandex and was headquartered in Dubai. It said talks were

underway with the government in Togo and that it was confident a

solution would be reached to continue operations there.