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