JANUARY 13: A CELEBRATION/COMMEMORATION FOR TOGO

UNCLAS LOME 000018


E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KDEM PGOV TO
SUBJECT: JANUARY 13: A CELEBRATION/COMMEMORATION FOR TOGO


1. (SBU) Summary. January 13 is a symbolic date in Togolese
history. It is the anniversary of the 1963 assassination of
Togo's first President, Sylvanus Olympio, and the 1967
accession to power of Gnassingbe Eyadema, who ruled until his
death in 2005. As in recent years, the GOT downplayed the
event by keeping the parade contained on the military base.
While it seems as if President Faure does not want to
continue commemorating what is essentially a military coup,
pressures from the conservative wing of his party, the Rally
of the Togolese People (RPT) and the military will more than
likely ensure the continuation of this tradition for years to
come. End Summary.


2. (U) President Olympio, the first democratically elected
President of Togo after independence in 1960, was
assassinated in a military coup on January 13, 1963, on the
grounds of the U.S. Embassy in Lome, adjacent to his family's
residence. Four years later, the Togolese military came to
power in a bloodless coup; January 13 is the symbolic
representation of Eyadema's accession to the Presidency.
(Note. Eyadema actually took power in April. End Note.)
There have traditionally been two separate events on this
day. The Union of the Forces of Change (UFC),the main
opposition party led by Gilchrist Olympio, the son of the
assassinated President, commemorates the day by holding
church services and traveling to Olympio's grave in Benin.
The government has officially celebrated January 13 as
Liberation Day for the past forty years, with grand national
military and civilian parades. (Note. Togo's official
independence day is April 27. End Note.) These festivities
have been a chronic source of contention within the country,
as the opposition accused the government of celebrating the
assassination of the "Father of Togo's Independence."


3. (U) This year's festivities were not as elaborate as in
years past. The invitations were sent in the name of Minister
of Defense, which, since the restructuring of the ministry
(it now falls directly under the presidency) following the
October 2007 legislative elections is President Faure
himself. The parade in Lome lasted just over two hours, and
contacts indicated that the military hardware (tanks, trucks,
etc.),was only brought in from the area surrounding Lome
instead of the bases up north. Members of the diplomatic
community were invited, and, for the first time in the
embassy's memory, several Western Ambassadors were in
attendance. The Brazilian, French, and German ambassadors all
decided to attend given the change in the invitations, since
traditionally the invitations have been sent in the name of
the ministry. However, given the fact that this date
essentially symbolizes either the assassination of a
democratically elected president or a military coup,
Ambassador Hawkins decided to follow precedence and did not
attend. The U.S. Embassy was represented by the Pol/Mil
Officer, at the Second Secretary level. The Prime Minister,
members of the Cabinet, and other diplomatic representatives
were also in attendance. The UFC commemorated the day with
church services, and Olympio traveled to Benin to lay a
wreath at his father's grave.


4. (SBU) Comment. Sources indicate that President Faure did
not want to celebrate January 13 this year, but conservative
factions of the RPT and the military exerted pressure on him
to continue the tradition. It is the embassy's opinion that
Faure is still not strong enough to stand up to this part of
the party or the military and will thus continue to cater to
them. Even though the invitations were sent out as the 42nd
anniversary of January 13, which would be a commemoration of
Eyadema's ascension to power instead of the assassination,
given Togo's weak status as an emerging democracy,
celebrating coups is not advisable. It would behest Faure to
start finding subtle ways to stand up to the leftover
advisors from his country's murky past. End Comment.


HAWKINS