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POLITICS-TOGO
A Meeting of Rivals
By Noel Kokou Tadegnon
LOME, May 19, 2005 (IPS) - Newly-elected Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe and
various opposition leaders were in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, Thursday for
talks on resolving tensions in their West African country.
Togo was plunged into turmoil when military officials appointed
Gnassingbe head of state shortly after the Feb. 5 death of his father,
Gnassingbe Eyadema, who had ruled the country since 1967.
Regional and international protests about the unconstitutional nature of
Faure Gnassingbe's appointment obliged him to schedule a presidential
election, subsequently held on Apr. 24.
However, the announcement by Togo's National Independent Electoral
Commission that Gnassingbe had won the vote sparked violence in the capital,
Lome, which in turn prompted thousands of people to flee to neighbouring
states.
An invitation from the ruling Rally of the Togolese People (Rassemblement
du people togolais, RPT) for the opposition to join it in a government of
national unity was rejected after last month's poll.
Reports now indicate that opposition leaders may be softening their
position on the matter, although the six-party Union of Forces of Change -
the leading opposition group - has apparently demanded that alleged vote
rigging during the presidential election, and rights abuses, be investigated
first.
This probe is to be conducted by an independent international committee
of inquiry.
"Establishing such a commission is a prerequisite for any type of
discussion to take place," coalition coordinator Yaovi Agboyibo told IPS.
These words were echoed by Zeus Ajavon, spokesman for a group of civil
society organisations.
"We have no confidence whatsoever in independent experts from Togo, or
from ECOWAS (the Economic Community of West African States), or from
anywhere in Africa for that matter," he told journalists. "The situation has
to be investigated by an independent international commission."
ECOWAS has been severely criticised by opposition groups for giving its
stamp of approval to the April election. On May 12, Togolese state media
announced that Gnassingbe had suggested an independent commission of inquiry
be established, made up of Togolese nationals.
Gnassingbe's main rival in the poll, Emmanuel Akitani-Bob, was not
present in Nigeria for Thursday's discussions, reportedly because of ill
health. However, the talks were attended by Gilchrist Olympio, leader of the
Union of Forces of Change, who was barred from running in the April
election.
This was in terms of a law which states that candidates for presidential
polls in Togo must reside in the country. Olympio has lived in exile since
surviving an assassination attempt in 1992. He is the son of Sylvanus
Olympio, Togo's first democratically elected president, who was himself
assassinated by Eyadema in 1963.
The Abuja meeting comes in the wake of a report by the Togolese League
for Human Rights (Ligue togolaise des droits de l'Homme, LTDH) stating that
over 800 people have lost their lives to political violence since Eyadema's
death. The LTDH, a non-governmental organisation based in Lome, also claims
that about 4,500 people have been injured during that time.
"Human rights, before and after the presidential elections, have been
violated in Togo. Human dignity is not respected and we are holding the
government responsible," said the league's vice-president, Eklou Clumson.
The report, released May 14, was to have been launched the day before
during a press conference at the headquarters of the LTDH. However, the
event was cancelled after about 50 RPT supporters invaded the league's
offices in a bid to disrupt it.
Government has rejected the LTDH allegations, with Communication Minister
Pitang Tchalla describing the report as "a joke in poor taste".
"These figures border on the ridiculous," he noted. "Before elections
were held, the most extremist opposition leaders were already saying that
the results would be played out in the streets. As soon as the provisional
results were announced, there were violent and concerted actions consistent
with this plan."
Others claim the report is biased in favour of the opposition, saying it
fails to take into account RPT supporters who were victimized during the
political violence.
Although the number of people fleeing Togo is reported to have decreased,
people are still leaving the country for Benin and Ghana. Recent estimates
from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees put the number of
Togolese refugees in these countries at just over 26,000.
And, reports continue to emerge of harassment by the security forces,
which have been accused of staging raids on the homes of opposition
supporters over recent weeks.
"We fled when the army attacked our neighborhood, but we came back from
Ghana Sunday (May 8) to go back to school, because this is exam time. But
Wednesday morning, soldiers went to the school to arrest my brother," a
young pupil told IPS.
Said another, "People are coming back, but they're also being arrested.
That's why I told my brothers, who are in Benin and Ghana, not to come back
yet." (END)
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