TOGO: COUP ATTEMPT THWARTED?

C O N F I D E N T I A L LOME 000115

ACCRA FOR RAO, DS/IP/AF, DS/TIA/ITA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/13/2019
TAGS: PGOV ASEC TO
SUBJECT: TOGO: COUP ATTEMPT THWARTED?

REF: LOME 106

Classified By: AMBASSADOR PATRICIA M. HAWKINS FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D)


1. (C) Summary. At 22:00 on Sunday, April 12, military forces stormed
the house of former Minister of Defense and half-brother to President
Faure, Kpatcha Gnassingbe. Initial reports are that Faure ordered this
action to thwart a coup attempt planned for the coming days. Faure was
scheduled to travel to China, but he seems to have canceled the trip.
End Summary.


2. (C) At 23:00 on Sunday night, PolOff received a phone call from an
advisor to Kpatcha, stating that military forces had stormed Kpatcha's
compound and were firing shots. He said that the intruders had entered
the house and broken doors in an attempt to find Kpatcha. Embassy
officials later learned that the forces were led by Colonel Kadangha,
head of the FIR, (Rapid Intervention Unit) and a brother-in-law of both
Faure and Kpatcha. Another Gnassingbe half-brother, Rock, intervened at
some point in the night and got Kpatcha safely out of the house. Kpatcha
returned to his home mid-morning, but there are unconfirmed reports that
he has since been taken away to an undisclosed location. He called the
Ambassador at about 10:45 this morning to report that "they" had tried to
assassinate him, but said he was unhurt. He did say that he spoken to
his brother, the President, and that they would meet this afternoon. In
keeping with our belief that this was an attempt to co-opt a possible
coup, four members of the military have been arrested, including a
Captain Gnassingbe, a family cousin.


3. (C) Former President Kerekou of Benin arrived in Lome this morning,
we presume to mediate, and rumor is that the President of Burkina Faso
Blaise Compaore may be coming this afternoon to assist.


4. (C) Comment. Clearly the GOT was aware of the coup rumors which have
been circulating in Lome for several weeks. Embassy officials met with
both the Minister of Security and the director of the Togolese
intelligence agency, ANR, over the weekend; both confirmed that they were
already aware of the rumors. It is possible that Kpatcha had an idea of
what was coming, as he sent his family away from his compound on April 11.
While it is still possible that the coup-plotters can regroup, for the
time being, it is more likely that the Gnassingbe family will find a way
to temporarily paper over their differences.
End Comment.

HAWKINS