Gnassingbé Eyadema

See also: Eyadema

Gnassingbé Eyadema was a politician Togo alluvium, born the December 26th 1935 with Pya (Togo) and deceased the February 5th 2005 to 10 km of the Tunisian ground. It occupied during 38 years, of 1967 to its death, the position of president of the Republic of the Togo. He was the senior of the Heads of State in Africa .

Biography

Resulting from a modest Protestant country family, Etienne Eyadéma (his two first names) Gnassingbé (his family name) was born on December 26th, 1935 in Pya, in the north of Togo, of Gnassimbgé and danida, which will be known later like Maman Danida, “mother venerated of Togolese”, and who will be the subject of a whole personal worship. It very early loses his father, who would have succumbed after be having passed to tobacco following a dispute with elements of the colonial army, famous Abongo sodja, directed at the time of the facts by a certain Wissi Esparto, originating in the same area as Gnassimgbé, in obscure circumstances.

Sources tell that Eyadema, after its takeover would have avenged his/her father by financing the assassination for Wissi Esparto, but this information was not checked. After the death of his/her father, Eyadéma is registered at the catholic Elementary school of Pya, where it will not exceed the elementary course. The legend tells, that it had left champion the traditional fights which are used as preparatory rites for the passage of adolescence with the world of the adults. In fact, Eyadéma was not champion he created this legend of any part to reinforce the image of “the elected official of God” whom he had been created with the eyes of Togolese to direct Togo as its party RPT always maintains it on its Web site. The proof it is that during the initiation of one of wire of Eyadema the same rites in 1997 passed, it was to face one of wire of that one even which had beaten Eyadéma. It would have exhorted his son “to wash the affront” which its elimination by the father of the adversary of his son constituted. This last indeed washed the affront and embanked its adversary. After having worked as sharecropper in a farmer of Kabou-Sara, in Bassar country in the west of Kara, Eyadéma leaves for Ouidah to the close Dahomey, current République of the Bénin, where it is made recruit in the rows of the French colonial army in 1954. Envoy in Indo-China then in Algeria, it reaches the rank of sergeant at the end of the war. Following the political independence of Togo and the end of the War of Algeria, Eyadéma and other indigenous combatants of the colonial army are demobilized without other form of lawsuits and politely required to return in their lately independent countries in 1962.

Contrary to the other states which had incorporated demobilized colonial army in the very new national armies, the Togolese State had refused to incorporate demobilized in the national police, officially for budgetary reasons. Indeed, president Sylvanius Olympio, then Head of the Togolese State, held a strict budgetary heading and last known of all and did not intend at all to inflate the national expenditure by increasing the budget of the army, which at the time counted 300 men and only one barracks of gendarmerie with Lome, under the command of the commander Georges Maîtrier, French gendarme envoy in Togo like co-operator and military adviser of the Head of the Togolese State. Olympio would have proposed with demobilized of their granting it funds so that they invest in the project of their choice.

However other not checked sources report that semi-officially, Olympio would have reproached demobilized to have been useful in a colonial army and that he did not intend to incorporate “those which fight the combatants of freedom” in the Togolese army.

In January 1963, Gnassingbé Eyadéma takes an active part in the assassination of Sylvanus Olympio, first president of Togo since independence in 1960. He will assert in the press this assassination.

Joining the Togolese army, it becomes on November 1st 1965 chief of staff of the armies to the rank of lieutenant-colonel.

The January 13rd 1967, Gnassingbé Eyadéma reverses Nicolas Grunitzky, second president of the Republic and seizes the power. The April 15th, he becomes officially president of the republic, chief of the government and Minister for defense.

In 1969, it founds the Gathering of the Togolese people (RPT), the sole party of the country.

The January 9th 1972, Gnassingbé Eyadéma is confirmed with the report heading by a plebiscite (He will be re-elected with five resumptions in 1979, 1986, 1993, 1998 and 2003).

The January 13rd 1980 is proclaimed IIIe republic.

The September 24th 1986, following the attack of a commando with Lome, the authorities blame the Ghana and the Burkina Faso which contradict. President Gnassingbé Eyadéma, under the terms of the free-Togolese military agreements, request military aid of the France. French soldiers unload in Lome.

In 1990, strikes and demonstrations shake the country. In October 1990, the army disperses by the force a demonstration of support with young opponents. The political and social disturbances with beginning of the year 1990 made several hundreds of deaths.

In April 1991, Gnassingbé Eyadéma is obliged to found the multi-party system, following the pressures of the French president François Mitterrand.

July 8th with the August 28th 1991, is held a “national conference”, which chooses the installation of a semi-presidential mode, establishes an High council of Republic (HCR) and imposes the nomination of a Prime Minister.

In December 1991, in Lome, the tanks draw on the desks from the head of government. Gnassingbé Eyadéma recovers all its prerogatives then. It makes adopt a news Constitution the September 27th 1992. The November 16th, begins a general strike of several months to obtain the political neutrality of the army.

The January 25th 1993, the police force draws on a manifestation of the opposition to Lome: at least 16 dead (medical sources), more than 50 according to the opposition. The European Community suspends its co-operation.

The March 25th 1993, Gnassingbé Eyadéma escapes an attack launched against its official residence. It had already been the object of several attacks or plots.

The June 21st 1998, it is re-elected at the time of a poll disputed by the opposition, and questioned by many European observers, which asserts the victory for the candidate of the Union of the forces of change (UFC) Gilchrist Olympio.

The March 21st 1999, the Gathering of the Togolese people (RPT) of president Gnassingbé Eyadéma gains the near total of the seats of the Parliament at the time of legislative boycotted by the opposition. In July, Gnassingbé Eyadéma is committed leaving the capacity in 2003 at the end of its mandate. An agreement is signed between the capacity and the opposition which envisages new legislative elections. Several pushed back times, they will take place in 2002.

The February 8th 2002, the Parliament carries out the modification of the electoral code, starting the anger of the opposition. The June 27th, the Prime Minister Agbéyomé Kodjo is dislocated of its functions. Mr. Kodjo, who affirms to have taken the decision to resign, launches out in a diatribe of a rare violence against the Head of the State and his mode. The anticipated legislatures take place the October 27th but are been sulky by the principal parties of opposition known as “traditional”. The RPT confirms its supremacy with the Parliament.

The December 30th 2002, the Parliament modifies article 59 of the Constitution which limited to two the number of presidential mandates, opening the way with a new candidature of Gnassingbé Eyadéma. The May 2nd 2003, the candidature of the opponent Gilchrist Olympio for presidential is not retained by the Electoral commission due to “incomplete file” (it misses a doctor's certificate). The May 21st, Gilchrist Olympio denounces “the permanent coup d'etat” of the Head of the State.

June 1st, Gnassingbé Eyadéma is re-elected for third a five years mandate with 57,78% of the voices at the time of a poll whose results are disputed by several leaders of the opposition. The June 20th, it lends oath in front of seven African Heads of State.

In 2004, following the engagement of the behavior of legislative elections in 2005, the European Union partially standardizes its relations with Togo.

He dies the February 5th 2005, of an heart attack, far from his birthplace Pya (northern of Togo) confined to bed which he was on board presidential sound Boeing 707 Togo 01,10 km separating it from the Tunisian ground this day.

To the advertisement of his death, French president Jacques Chirac presented his condolences to his family while recalling: “With him a friend disappears from France which was for me a personal friend” (source: Jacques Chirac: '' Eyadema was a friend of France ''. 2005-02-05. republicoftogo.com)

A “friend of France”

Dice its takeover, by a military coup d'etat, Gnassingbé Eyadéma receives the support of France. It preserves this support on behalf of the various French presidents, of Charles de Gaulle to Jacques Chirac. It is the spearhead of the French policy and the defense of the French interests in the under-area.

Human rights

Defense organizations of the human rights, as well Togolese as international, regularly denounced the infringements of the human rights made by the mode of Gnassingbé Eyadéma. In 2003, the International federation of the human rights (FIDH) overpowers the mode in a report/ratio entitled “Togo , the arbitrary one like standard and 37 years of dictatorship ” where she denounces “ systematic torture in the police stations in all impunity, justice with the orders of the capacity, the prisons over-populated and the faked elections ”

The May 5th 1999, Amnesty International, in a report/ratio entitled “ the reign of terror ” shows the capacity to have carried out hundreds of people and jetés their body with the sea after the proclamation of the results of the election of 1998.

Succession

Whereas the Constitution provides that the president of the National Assembly must take over temporarily the duties until the behavior of new elections, 60 days after the death of the President-in-Office, the Togolese army seizes the power with dead of Gnassingbé Eyadéma, pretexting that the president of the National Assembly is not present in the country. In all haste, the Parliament elects one of its sons, Faure Gnassingbé Eyadéma, president of the National Assembly and modifies the constitution in order to prolong its mandate until fine the normal of that of his/her father.

The African Union denounces a military coup d'etat. The General secretary of the UNO, Kofi Annan, request so that the Constitution is respected. The International federation of the human rights and the Togolese League of the human rights denounce the “hereditary dictatorship” in an official statement ().

The February 25th, continuation doubtless with the international pressures, Faure Gnassingbé Eyadéma announces that it gives up the presidency, that elections will be organized in the next weeks and that it stands as a candidate to the presidency.

See too

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