TOGO: FRANCOPHONIE SUSPENDS TOGO FROM GROUPING OF FRENCH-SPEAKING STATES AFTER NAMING OF NEW PRESIDENT

Record ID: 646949

  • Title: TOGO: FRANCOPHONIE SUSPENDS TOGO FROM GROUPING OF FRENCH-SPEAKING STATES AFTER NAMING OF NEW PRESIDENT
  • Date: 10th February 2005
  • Summary: (BN15) LOME, TOGO (FEBRUARY10, 2005) (REUTERS) 1. SLV/SV EXTERIOR FRANCOPHONIE BUILDING (3 SHOTS) 0.12 2. MCU (French) ZEUS AJAVON, UNION SPOKESMAN SAYING: "For the first time, Francophonie understood how important our problem is and has taken the right decision. "ECOWAS understood also. It is not acceptable that good governance and democracy rules adopted by the international community can be derided in such rough manner in Togo." 0.46 3. MCU (French) YAOVI AGBOYIBO, CAR (OPPOSITION PARTY) LEADER SAYING "This "dead Togo" day had to take place, Togolese people had to show their disagreement to what happened in the country." 1.04 4. SV EXTERIOR ECOWAS BANK (BIDC) 1.11 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 25th February 2005 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: LOME, TOGO
  • Country: Togo
  • Reuters ID: LVA9XNATTM3X5MJEGX0AB7PV4DCK
  • Story Text: Francophonie suspends Togo from grouping of
    French-speaking states after naming of new president.




    The Francophonie, an organisation that groups
    French-speaking states, suspended Togo on Wednesday
    (February 10, 2005) after the army named Faure Gnassingbe
    president on the death of his father.

    The Francophonie's permanent council said it "strongly
    condemned the coup d'etat perpetrated by Togo's armed
    forces and its repeated violations of the provisions of
    Togo's constitution."
    It suspended Togo from the Francophonie's multilateral
    cooperation except programmes that directly benefit the
    population or help restore democracy.

    "For the first time, Francophonie understood how
    important our problem is and has taken the right decision,"
    Union spokesman Zeus Ajavon said.

    "ECOWAS understood also. It is not acceptable that good
    governance and democracy rules adopted by the international
    community can be derided in such rough manner in Togo," he
    added.

    Togo's army named Gnassingbe president on Saturday
    following the death of his father Gnassingbe Eyadema,
    Africa's longest serving leader, who died after 38 years in
    power.

    African leaders have condemned the move. The National
    Assembly changed the constitution to sanction the
    succession retroactively.

    The Francophonie is composed of 53 states and
    governments including France.

    African leaders have been unusually fast and vocal in
    condemning Togo's abrupt transfer of power, but their room
    for manoeuvre is limited and they will probably have to
    settle for a compromise with the new leader.

    Both the African Union and the Economic Community of
    West African States (ECOWAS) have branded the army's
    appointment of Faure Gnassingbe as president a coup and
    told Togo to return to constitutional rule, or face
    sanctions.

    But analysts say any solution to Togo's crisis must
    have the blessing of the West African country's powerful
    military to avoid triggering an even more dangerous
    standoff in a region already blighted by civil wars and
    chronic instability.

    They say Gnassingbe Eyadema, who was Africa's longest
    serving leader before his death on Saturday, had made sure
    during his authoritarian, 38-year rule that members of his
    northern clan and ethnic group were in the top army posts.

    JRC/guy


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