Two months after its outbreak, the political crisis seems to be far from an imminent outcome. On the contrary, it gets bogged down, over the days, through the continuation of retaliation against opposition protesters by the power of Lome. Today, Sokodé, stronghold of the opponent Tikpi Atchadam, at the origin of the disputes, is almost a city under siege. Unsavory maneuvers that are poles apart from the acceptable.
The USA ... a soft and muted diplomacy
Initiatives to help Togo grow democratically are numerous. It will be remembered that the United States quickly took a position in favor of the in-depth application of the Global Political Agreement (Apg) signed in August 2006 between Togolese political actors. To do this, Washington, through its diplomatic representation in Togo, has always recommended to the actors, the dialogue that it considers to be the salutary way. Concurrent sources also reveal that the introduction by the government in 2014 of the draft law on constitutional amendment, which limited the presidential mandate in the spirit of the 1992 constitution, would be the result of a diplomacy muted the US Embassy in Togo,
Unfortunately, the deputies of power leaning on "threats" that would have brandished their colleagues of the Anc rejected the reform of the fundamental law. But far from abdicating, American diplomacy has always shown its obvious desire to play a leading role alongside Togo on the issue of reforms. The two recent communiqués of the Group of Five (Editor's note: Coordination of the United Nations System in Togo, France, Germany, the United States and ...) have been made public via the website of the US Embassy in Togo. Moreover, at the beginning of last October, a few days before the demonstrations of anger of the opposition with the ambassador David Gilmour went to underline to the President of the National Assembly, the imperative necessity to guarantee the freedom of demonstration in the country, and especially to break with the bloody repressions of the demonstrators. "And the result was the very professional management that was made of the" anger "expressed by the protesters last October 5, through barricades poses on all arteries of the city," we had commented in our publication 144 of last October 11th. But soon after, the Django got back on their feet.
Acts on the verge of mockery
Just sticking to the unfolding of the news for a week, one can deduce that the power of Lomé has less considerations to the recommendations of the American diplomat. Better, he does not care at all. And for good reason. Since the last marches of 18 and 19 October, the violence and repression of demonstrators have risen a notch in the country. In Sokodé, the populations are martyred and hunted down to their last limits. Descent into houses followed by blind and bloody repression caused several casualties. Deaths can be counted over the days. Fearing retaliation, part of the city, including children, has taken refuge in the forest and lives off the harvest. Unimaginable in this twenty-first century. Others have crossed borders to find refuge in Ghana. And while Sokode is in a state of siege and emptied of its children, Lomé the capital is, under the permanent obsession of the militia who acted last week in "conquered territory". Well-structured, conveyed and protected by the police, these "self-defense groups", according to the Minister of Security, Col Yark, voluntarily and royally violated the homes, tracked and abused the populations of several districts of the capital without any condemnation of the government. Curious and pathetic! have voluntarily and royally violated the homes, hunted down and abused the populations of several districts of the capital without any condemnation of the government. Curious and pathetic! have voluntarily and royally violated the homes, hunted down and abused the populations of several districts of the capital without any condemnation of the government. Curious and pathetic!
Faure ... choosing between strength and dialogue
Today, faced with the silence of the authority that is similar to contempt and complicity, rumors announce the formation of other self-defense groups within the population to possible replicas. Meanwhile, the sacking of a mosque in Kara is fearing the beginnings of inter-religious conflict and communitarianism looming on the horizon. These ethnico-religious conflicts are extremely dangerous for peaceful cohesion and, above all, for social peace in Togo. They will therefore have to worry the power in its mission of protector of the nation, in that by endorsing these militias, it thus creates voluntarily the bed to the examples that have known Rwanda, Burundi, Liberia, Sierra Leone etc.
Faure Gnassingbe silencing thus endorses "the law of force instead of the force of law." A practice that he denounced in 2009 when he put out of the state to harm him, his half-brother Kpatcha. After the long mic-mac he has endorsed to serve partners on the issue of reforms since 2014, the head of state who finds himself today in a pocket handkerchief must instead play to save his image by letting protest freely Togolese who do not recognize themselves in his governance. To show that they are no longer ready to be deceived, Washington has just risen angry. In a statement made public yesterday by the spokesman of the State Department, the United States says it is "deeply concerned by the escalation of violence and restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly in Togo related to protests over constitutional reforms in Togo". The Americans are, moreover, very indignant at the Togolese government's decision to restrict freedom of demonstration in the week and to arrest an Imam in Sokode. As the US ambassador to Togo had asked early, Washington once again urges the government and the opposition to engage in dialogue without preconditions. In the process, Alassane Ouattara, on the sidelines of a meeting in Niger, returned to the same concerns before threatening that the perpetrators of the violence should be punished ... very indignant at the Togolese government's decision to restrict freedom of demonstration in the week and to arrest an Imam in Sokode. As the US ambassador to Togo had asked early, Washington once again urges the government and the opposition to engage in dialogue without preconditions. In the process, Alassane Ouattara, on the sidelines of a meeting in Niger, returned to the same concerns before threatening that the perpetrators of the violence should be punished ... very indignant at the Togolese government's decision to restrict freedom of demonstration in the week and to arrest an Imam in Sokode. As the US ambassador to Togo had asked early, Washington once again urges the government and the opposition to engage in dialogue without preconditions. In the process, Alassane Ouattara, on the sidelines of a meeting in Niger, returned to the same concerns before threatening that the perpetrators of the violence should be punished ...
Otherwise, it is to continue to make a mockery of American diplomacy, which had offered very early, its mediation on the question of reforms. It was in 2015 during the celebration in Lomé of the national holiday of the country of Uncle Sam. And when the latter, also the world's leading power, will politically turn its back on the power of Lome, it would be easy to consider the logical continuation of the story. It could be written without the Prince of Lome. And examples are also legion. The power of Lomé has the next 07, 08 and 09 October to catch up to the marches announced by the opposition on these dates!
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