Sokode and Bafilo, hotbed of the new protest against President Faure Gnassingbe, are closely watched by the army. Accused of exploiting Islam, the imams of these two cities, arrested by the police, explain themselves to "La Croix".
From our special envoy
The young soldier is flanked by a uniform a little big for him. His light bulletproof vest is insignia of the 2nd Rapid Intervention Brigade (BIR). With others, he calmly controls vehicles entering or leaving Sokodé, the second largest city in Togo. It is the only roadblock raised by the military on the 350 km of road that separates it from the capital, Lomé: a national rather in good condition, lined with carcasses of trucks, vans and cars accident.
Once the exam is over, he makes a friendly gesture towards the driver who immediately resumes his journey. We can not say that the atmosphere is electric, that day, in Sokodé, home of the new challenge to the regime since August. "The release of Imam Alpha Alassane on December 7 has brought down the tension in the street. The police are a little less visible, "says a resident who prefers to remain anonymous.
That day, the Reds of Semassi, the famous Sokodé football team, play at the stadium on behalf of the national championship. The stands are half filled, only by men. The only visible women are the little merchants of candies and refreshments. Police forces are grouped together in an isolated corner. A day almost normal.
Except that the spirits are not at peace. They are even always angry and, above all, very divided. Sokode testifies to the deep fracture that tears Togo between supporters of the family Gnassingbe, in power for fifty years, and their opponents. This political and ethnic divide extends, again, to the traditional support of the presidential party, the Union for the Republic (Unir).
This city was known to support President Gnassingbe ... until last summer. On 19 August, at the appeal of the national-Pan-African National Party (PNP) of Tikpi Atchadam, a child of the country, thousands of people protested in the streets against the project of constitutional reform: under cover of limiting the mandates presidential elections, it would allow Faure Gnassingbe to seek two new ones from 2020.
Surprised by the magnitude and exasperation of the protesters, the police brutally dispersed them, killing two people, injuring and arresting more than a hundred others. This drama has poisoned the crisis. The protest won the south of the country, traditionally hostile to the presidential palace. The success of PNP mobilization pushed the main opposition parties to federate. Together, they call on Togolese to march in the street against power, almost every week. From Lomé to Sokodé, the same clamor now arises: "Gnassingbe, release! "
At Sokode, the Tems, one of the ethnic groups allied with Kabyés then, that of Faure Gnassingbe, support more openly PNP. The northern unit, indispensable for the ruling clan, is now cracked.
The mosques of Sokodé marry this fracture between the Unir and the PNP. Faced with this new situation, the power represses demonstrations in this city. Far from the capital, far from the media, things go wrong. Several deaths are to be deplored, on both sides. The army is sent to lend a hand to the police. Bastonings, arbitrary arrests, searches follow each other.
In October, two imams accused of being Islamists preaching violence against the regime, are arrested and thrown in prison: Alpha Alassane, October 16 in Sokodé, and Alpha Abdoul Wahid, October 25 in Bafilo. A furious crowd rose up against these arrests, attacking police premises, looting and burning the houses of the gendarmerie. In response, the army is released, twenty people lose their lives. Hundreds escape in the bush, also in the north, to Bafilo, where the police presence is even more intense.
Since then, the police are criss-crossing these two cities, the demonstrations are prohibited, the local media are not allowed to talk about the crisis, the conversations are monitored, the supporters of the regime are furious. "I never thought such violence could come down here," said one resident, "we were all very afraid of the rioters and the reaction of the army. It was not good. "
A mother:" We are afraid, all the time, the police came we beat up, we fly, we stop. " As soon as she hears the word "soldier", her 5-year-old girl shouts while protecting her head: "To strike, to strike! For the regime, the protest movement in Sokode and Bafilo is remote controlled by Islamists. This is the reason why the two imams were arrested.
Exactly, Imam Alpha Alassane agrees to explain himself. That night, in his house in the depths of Sokodé, he tells what happened to him on October 16: "The soldiers arrived in a dozen trucks. They smashed my door, stole my money and took me to the gendarmerie where I was insulted, whipped, beaten, humiliated. After three days, I was taken to prison where I was treated better. "
He knows that in Lome it is said that he preaches hatred against the regime, that he uses the Koran to justify the violence, that he calls on Allah to overthrow Faure Gnassingbe. It makes him smile. "I have never called on my faithful to violently attack gendarmes, their families and their property. On the other hand, he readily explains that demonstrating against the Gnassingbe is a duty for a Muslim to the extent that he takes the side of justice and peace. "Yes, I am close to Tikpi Atchadam. We share the same vision of the situation. We fight together against injustice. He is today the real opponent in Togo. "
An hour's drive away, Bafilo is also under the control of the army. The atmosphere is heavier. Everyone is watching and controlling themselves. Men in uniform patrol the city. Others, in civilian clothes, listen to conversations, approach crowds, watch the comings and goings.
Supporters of the regime have formed a militia. They keep certain neighborhoods, monitor certain roads. The police, according to the inhabitants, act with complete impunity: "They beat us, enter our houses, plunder us, arrest those who protest, strike us again", explains an old man. His friend nods.
The city is isolated. "Regime agents are looking for those who have demonstrated, breathes a trader. Lists have been established. Our young people have gone to hide in the forest. Here is one who comes clandestinely in the day to take news. "Our camp is a few hours walk. Living in the bush since October, it is trying. We have comrades who have died of exhaustion, of illness. "
Wounded in October by grenade shrapnel, he was quietly looked at Sokode before taking refuge in the forest. "We have nothing left to lose. We do not want this diet anymore. "
Imam Alpha Abdul Wahid receives some visits. He explains: "I have been accused of preaching violence, sending young people to plunder and robbing relatives of the regime. But it's wrong. He too recognizes, however, denouncing in his sermons the injustice of the regime. But he does not use the Qur'an for that. Sunni, he spent four years in Qatar and five in Saudi Arabia. "I am not an Islamist," he continues. It's wrong ! I am marching against the regime, alongside Tikpi Atchadam. You know, I'm his uncle. "
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