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His Excellency President J.A. Kufuor
President of the Republic of Ghana
Accra-Ghana
His Excellency, CONCERNS ABOUT THE INSTABILITY IN TOGO
The Council of Ewe Associations of North America (CEANA)
is gravely concerned about the state of affairs in
Togo and strongly condemns the abuse of the people of
Togo and the actions of the authorities in that
country, following the death of the ex-dictator
Gnassingbe Eyadema.
Their actions ignored one of the most pressing needs
of the people of Togo and its neighbors: regional
stability and peace. The situation in that country has
created needless confusion and fear among its
neighbors and the Togolese citizenry.
As concerned compatriots and neighbors of Togo, we
urge you to take a more proactive and bold step in
ensuring that Togo does not degenerate into a civil
war by upholding the rule of law and ensuring that a
transparent democratic process is upheld.
During the reign of Gnassingbe Eyadema, Togolese were
subjected to a repressive and an authoritarian rule
characterized by disappearances and torture of
dissidents and opposition voices were silenced, as
evidenced in numerous human rights reports.
In a practice characteristic of the Eyadema dynasty,
following his death, his son sought to continue this
repression as was manifest in the infamous seizure of
power by Faure Gnassingbe and the terror that met
sympathizers and indeed candidates of the opposition
party throughout the campaign period leading to and
after the elections of April 24, 2005.
While we commend ECOWAS and indeed the entire
international community for their steadfastness in
ensuring that constitutional succession was respected
by demanding the end of the coup d'etat that enthroned
the ex-dictator's son, we feel strongly that the
regional body, failed to ensure that the speaker of
parliament, the rightful person to succeed the late
president, was sworn in.
When Faure was pressurized to step down, the regional
body did not finish the job of making sure the speaker
of parliament as dictated by the constitution be sworn
in. Instead ECOWAS accepted a puppet President to
oversee elections. When elections were held, the
regional body that was the main observer of the
elections failed miserably in its monitoring of the
elections.
This failure is all the more amplified by reports of
massive irregularities throughout the country that was
flashed on TV screens across the globe. Pictures of
armed pro-government forces looting, beating and
stuffing ballot boxes were shown every where yet
ECOWAS, which was funded by the European Union to
observe the election saw a rather fair process.
This contradiction in ensuring the rule of
constitutional law and in the monitoring of the
elections reveals a deep flaw and strong test for the
peer review mechanism. ECOWAS and the African Union
present as a hallmark of their ability to move the
region and the continent into the future.
We fear that the job ECOWAS did was at best an
appeasement of their peers and at worst, business as
usual. Once again, due process is the loser.> The
crisis of the moment must be managed, but as an
organization representing all Ewes from Ghana, Togo
and Benin, the ethnic group that is the base of
opposition to the Eyadema kleptocracy, hence the most
repressed, we fear that the trend of events may easily
degenerate into tribal war if serious sanctions are
not imposed on the RPT regime.
For all the talk about government of national unity at
a time when even such stable foreign establishments as
the Institut Goethe are being burnt down with
impunity, because Germany is perceived as sympathetic
to the opposition, we fear that there is no end in
sight.
The ethnic strife in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Ivory
Coast are very fresh in our collective memories and we
fear that if no strong regional condemnation or
diplomatic efforts are immediately dispatched to
arrange a power sharing strategy, we may find
ourselves yet with another Rwanda on our hands. It is
in light of these concerns that CEANA would like your
Excellency to regroup ECOWAS, the African Union and
other stakeholders, particularly France to begin a
process of discussions to restore peace and
tranquility in the Republic of Togo.
As an organization that represents all Ewes, both in
the Diaspora and at home, CEANA is genuinely concerned
about the lives of all the people in the sub-region.
We are struggling to preserve our endowments precisely
because our vision of a better tomorrow encompasses
not only a peaceful Togo where justice and fairness
prevail but also a region where the lives of all will
be preserved and protected.
The level of discontent with the continuation of the
Eyadema regime is evidently high and that the sooner
power sharing arrangements are agreed upon, the better
for the sub-region. We will measure success over
generations. We count on your cooperation
Long Live ECOWAS, Long Live Togo, Long Live CEANA
Signed: Gordon Sabblah Dr. Mark Kutame Executive
Director, CEANA President, CEANA
Cc: ECOWAS Secretariat African Union French Embassy
German Embassy Ghanaweb Eweland & CEANA Sites
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