At the high-level summit on counter-terrorism in Africa on the theme “Strengthening cooperation and regional institutions to respond to the evolving threat of terrorism in Africa” held in Abuja, on April 22, 2024, the Togolese President, Faure Gnassingbé described pre-colonial military agreements as “outdated” and “obsolete”.
Indeed, during his speech, the Togolese head of state emphasized the importance of facilitating international financing of counter-terrorism initiatives. He also stressed the need to reform military cooperation between states, taking into account the current global context.
“Terrorism threatens the very substance of our States. (…) My conviction to defeat terrorism in the sub-region cannot be achieved without effective inter-state cooperation. (…) It seems to me that it is through a reformed organization that we can defeat terrorism. This new organization of military cooperation that I am calling for must imperatively take into account the current global context,” he indicated.
In his declaration, Faure Gnassingbé goes further by describing the support and military alliances resulting from decolonization between colonial powers and African states as “obsolete, outdated and inappropriate”. According to indiscretions, this “bold position” of the head of state aroused the anger of certain powers who see in this a “threatening disavowal”.
“As a recognized ECOWAS mediator and strongly supported by the young leaders of the AES, his statement was not only disturbing; it also caused the premature departure of certain participants. The latter, who behind the scenes, finance media campaigns against the Togolese president,” reports the colleague Le Confidentiel.
What should we understand from this statement by Faure Gnassingbé? Should we fear a questioning of existing military agreements? These questions deserve to be asked at a time when certain countries in the sub-region are beginning to break their military partnerships with Western powers.
In any case, the Togolese president seems to have the ambition to update the military agreements, in order to adapt them to contemporary challenges and the evolving global context. This could involve adjustments in Togo’s international military partnerships, with the aim of strengthening cooperation and the effectiveness of counter-terrorism actions.
