The American Funding for Togo’s Army Continues

Over the last five decades, Togo has been under the rule of one of the most brutal military regimes in Africa. This regime first came into power in 1967 when Gnassingbé Eyadéma seized power. Eyadéma was also responsible for the 1963 coup which killed Sylvanus Olympio, Togo’s only democratically elected president. When Eyadéma died in 2005, the military in Togo moved to install his son Faure Gnassingbé into power and Faure has been the president of Togo ever since then.

It was announced recently that Togo will receive XOF3 billion from the Global Peace Operations Initiative, which is a an American security initiative designed to support peacekeeping missions. The problem has always been that the United States provides funding to the Togolese army, while ignoring the many abuses which are committed by the security forces in Togo. A few months ago I wrote an article on how citizens of Togo were being abused under the guise of protecting citizens from Covid-19.

The abuses of the Togolese military against the people of Togo have been carried out for more than 50 years. Despite this, the government of Togo continues to receive funding and support from Western donors. This foreign support has become so necessary for the maintenance of the regime in Togo that Faure went so far as to pay a firm $1500 an hour to help improve his public image, which has become tainted in recent years due to the uprisings by the Togolese people.

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Dwayne is the author of several books on the history and experiences of African people, both on the continent and in the diaspora. His books are available through Amazon. You can also follow Dwayne on Facebook and Twitter.