- Title: TOGO: OPPOSITION SUPPORTERS PREPARE TO DEFEND THEMSELVES AFTER ELECTION
- Date: 25th April 2005
- Summary: (BN14) ADAKDAME, LOME, TOGO (APRIL 25, 2005) (REUTERS) 1. SLV GROUP OF MEN SURROUNDING HUT 0.04 2. SV POSTER OF OPPOSITION CANDIDATE EMMANUEL BOB AKITANI ON HUT 0.07 3. SLV/SV OF VOODOO CEREMONY INSIDE HUT (3 SHOTS) 0.21 4. SLV/SV OF MAKESHIFT ROADBLOCKS (2 SHOTS) 0.29 5. SLV MEN DIGGING PROTECTIVE TRENCHES AGAINST ARMY ATTACK 0.33 6. MCU (French) UNIDENTIFIED OPPOSITION SUPPORTER SAYING: "We dig trenches to stop military trucks and soldiers so if they come to arrest us we can stay behind the trench and throw stones at them" 0.43 7. SV MEN DIGGING TRENCHES 0.47 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 10th May 2005 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: ADAKDAME, LOME, TOGO
- Country: Togo
- Reuters ID: LVA3NSXGE0NCHBV9V0ZPKOBZ7PI7
- Story Text: Opposition supporters prepare to defend themselves after election.
Togo's two main political rivals agreed on Monday (April 25)
to form a "government of national unity" in a bid to avert further violence after Sunday's presidential polls which sparked deadly
street clashes in the West African nation.
The deal was made in Nigeria between governing party candidate Faure
Gnassingbe and Gilchrist Olympio, who was barred under the constitution from standing in Sunday's election but is still the most powerful opposition leader.
At least three people were killed on Sunday and dozens injured in
street battles, so on Monday some opposition supporters were digging
themselves in and enlisting voodoo to try to protect themselves against more violence.
All sides in the election, aimed at choosing the former French colony's
first new leader in nearly four decades, alleged fraud and intimidation and there were fears of more bloodshed when the results are announced later this week.
Sunday's vote set Gnassingbe, the son of late leader Gnassingbe
Eyadema, against a six-party opposition coalition.
The coalition named Emmanuel Akitani-Bob as its candidate, but he was
widely viewed as a stand-in for Olympio, who could not run under the terms of the constitution as he has been living in exile since 1992.
Olympio said they wanted to see peace in Togo, where Gnassingbe Eyadema
ruled for 38 years until his death in February.
African leaders want to avoid another conflict in a region already
struggling to end intertwined wars in nearby countries.
- Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None