Togo revolts and the call of duty: will Togo reform or burn?
The Republic of Togo
The country;
Togo is one of the beautiful coast West African nations located between Ghana and Benin. The country is a francophone nation.
Politics;
The political climate of Togo could be likened to that of a dictatorship. After the former president Gnassingbe Eyadema ruled autocratically for 38 years, his son took over...
Despite having a constitution which gives presidents two 5 year limit terms, the Togolese government has gotten its way around the constitution to allow the current president to rule indefinitely.
Together, father and son have ruled for over 50 years.
Economy;
Depending on whom you ask, the economy could be either good or bad. According to citizens the economy is bad, however according to Ghanaian traders who buy and sell from Togo, they economy is better than that of Ghana as depreciation is relatively lower there.
The revolution in Togo
After years of political dictatorship which is known for using brutal military force to sanction opposition, the Togolese citizens have decided to stand up against their president who they see as a dictator.
The first major protests began between 19th and 20 and after reported incidences of police brutality has only gotten bigger.
Close to one million Togolese are expected to join in peaceful demonstration across the country between the 6 and 7th of September.
The sheer determination of the citizens to challenge the norm of enduring dictatorship due to fears of terror from government forces is remarkable.
According to one activists interviewed on a Ghanaian GhOne Tv station, there is one popular joke among the Togolese;
"To die is better than to live without hope"
The call of the world
The governments of the world, the people of the world and the human right organizations of the world need to step and do something. And to do that they will have to either;
- play neutral and negotiate
- or take sides and get some results.
The world's default role is to be neutral and negotiate, a position has led to nothing but fruitless treaties and the loss of countless lives.
Consider the cases of Lybia, complete destruction of Aleppo in Syria and the loss of one million lives under the watch of the UN and AU during the Rwandan genocide.
Where are strong calls for political immunity, it such a demand are no longer realistic under the current situation which is has already turned deadly and is promising even more violence.
Considering how deadly things has already been and knowing the untrustworthy nature of the Togolese Government and their hunch to kill and torture political rivals, perhaps the stage of negotiations is long over.
No matter what peace agreements are brokered between the government and the people, several innocence people will be harassed, imprisoned, tortured and killed for suspicion of being a part of the current political revolution.
The fate of Togo
There are reports of the Internet and social media being censored.
There is no certainty in predicting the fate of Togo. We cannot tell if the current president will follow in the footsteps of the former Gambia president and agree to move out of power even if it means exile.
However, one thing we can be sure of is the fact that there would continue to be political unrest and military brutality until a solution is found to this current crises.
I write these proposals as a concerned Ghanaian living on the border with Togo, what about you? Join the discussions in the comment section.
Image credits to Vice.com
[This article has been updated correct an earlier version which said that the former president handed down power to his son.]