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Due to resource constraints, IRIN is not updating the country profile below.
Updated humanitarian country information can be found instead at the Togo country page on ReliefWeb [http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/dbc.nsf/doc104?OpenForm&rc=1&cc=tgo].
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 TOGOLESE Republic
Humanitarian Country Profile |
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Background
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Last update: August 2007 |
Prior to colonisation Togo was part of the West African coastal region that supplied slaves to Europeans. In 1884, Germany claimed a small portion of this territory by signing a deal with a local king. The colony came to be known as Togoland and the Germans invested heavily in the cultivation of cocoa, coffee and cotton - the country's main exports.
When World War I broke out, indigenous tribes welcomed the arrival of British troops and the Germans surrendered the territory. The country was then divided between the British and the French by a mandate from the League of Nations. This division separated the territory of the Ewe tribe in the interior of the country and led to protests for reunification. Eventually the part that made up British Togo was incorporated into Ghana, and French Togo gained independence in 1960.
The country's first president, Sylvanus Olympio, was assassinated during a coup only three years after coming to power. He was replaced by his brother-in-law Nicholas Grunitzky, who was later removed by a military coup in 1967 launched by Gen Gnassingbe Eyadema.
Eyadema outlawed opposition parties and insisted on only one trade union. From the late 1960s to the 1980s, the country experienced an economic boom based mainly on nationalised phosphate mining.
The onset of a recession and pressure from Western countries on Togo to democratise inspired several failed coups and Eyadema tightened control on the country.
Democratic protestors, mainly from the Ewe and Mina tribes in the south of the country, frequently clashed with armed forces, resulting in the deaths of many civilians.
These human rights abuses, combined with poor economic policy and a lack of democratic principles prompted the international community to suspend aid to the country in 1993.
Despite elections and promises to democratise, Eyadema's control over the military and manipulation of the political system, including an amendment to the constitution to allow him to run for a third term, ensured his stay in power.
In 2004, the European Union (EU) began talks to resume aid to Togo if the government agreed to make democratic reforms, including the acceptance of opposition parties, liberalising press laws and freeing political prisoners.
However, in 2005, when Eyadema died, his son Faure Gnassingbe took over, in violation of the constitution. Under pressure from West African leaders, Gnassingbe held elections in 2005, and regional observers said he won the vote. Other observers were less sure. Members of the political opposition disputed the results and clashes ensued with security forces, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee across the border into Ghana and Benin.
Reconciliation talks took place in early in 2006 resulting in an agreement to incorporate opposition parties into the transitional government, but the country remains politically unstable.
Peace and security
A history of political repression has perpetuated an atmosphere of insecurity in the country.
Protests against the anti-democratic measures of former president Gnassingbe Eyadema were often put down by security forces. When Eyadema died, violence erupted when his son Faure Gnassingbe ascended to the presidency with the backing of the military.
Under pressure from West African leaders, Gnassingbe held elections that were contested by the opposition. Supporters of opposing parties clashed and security forces opened fire on crowds. It is estimated that up to 500 people were killed in the violence and another 40,000 people fled into neighbouring Benin and Ghana in fear of persecution.
These events led the government to temporarily close Togo's land borders and shut down communications systems - security measures often used in the past.
Since the unrest, the government and opposition parties have signed an accord to end their political impasse based on the promise to implement electoral reforms.
Reports by both Amnesty International and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) said that the country's security forces, which are dominated by northerners and members of the president's Kabye ethnic group, needed to be reformed for democracy and peace to move forward. Widespread impunity also needs to be addressed, the reports said.
Legislative elections are set for mid-2007 and violence could erupt again if the elections are not seen as fair.
IDPs/Refugees
Political violence in April 2005 forced 40,000 Togolese to flee into Benin and Ghana in fear of persecution.
Close to 25,000 went to Benin, where 11,600 were housed at two camps. Another 15,000 crossed over into Ghana's Volta region, where the majority were given shelter by host families.
With the signing of an accord between the government and opposition parties in August 2006, relative calm has been restored to the country and the Togolese government has been encouraging the repatriation of refugees, assuring them of their safety and offering incentives to return.
According to the UNHCR, there are approximately 16,500 refugees still in Benin and Ghana. Repatriation efforts in Benin allowed for the closure of the Come refugee camp, with the 500 remaining refugees being moved to the Lokossa/Agame camp, which houses 6,000 refugees. The UNHCR estimates that there are an additional 3,000 displaced living with families around Cotonou, Benin's main city.
In April 2006, the UNHCR, in coordination with Ghanaian authorities, also began a verification process of Togolese refugees in the Volta region, where there are thought to be 12,500 refugees still residing. The verification exercise was to ensure that Togolese refugees received the required documentation and that resources and services, provided by UNHCR and its partners, reached the intended recipients.
The crisis in April 2005 also created a population of internally displaced people (IDPs). The latest inter-agency assessment figures show a fall in the number of IDPs, from 10,000 during the early days of the crisis to 3,000 at present. With further assistance, such as rehabilitation of shelters, it is expected that more IDPs will return to their places of origin.
According to the UNHCR, Togo hosted 8,800 refugees and 200 asylum seekers in 2005, mainly from Ghana and Rwanda.
Democracy and governance
Togo has barely known democracy since gaining independence from France in 1960.
When President Gnassingbe Eyadema died while in office in 2005, he was Africa's longest serving leader, having been in power for 38 years.
Despite pressure to democratise the country, including the suspension of aid from European countries, Eyadema made only small concessions that did little to slacken his hold on power or his control of the army.
Eyadema came to office by military coup in 1967, and at the time outlawed all opposition parties and suspended constitutional processes.
Uncontested elections were held in 1979 and in 1986. In both, Eyadema received over 99 percent of the vote.
In the face of intensifying protests for democracy, Eyadema allowed exiled political opponents to return and form a transitional government that limited his powers. What followed was a period of political turmoil, with Eyadema manoeuvering the opposition in his favour, using the army to ensure his stay in power and repelling multiple coups.
Prior to the elections in June 2003, parliament amended Togo's constitution, allowing Eyadema to run for an "unlimited" number of terms. A further amendment stated that candidates must reside in the country for at least 12 months before an election, a provision that barred the participation of the main opponent, Gilchrist Olympio, who had been in exile since 1992. Eyadema was re-elected with 57 percent of the vote, amid allegations of widespread vote rigging.
In 2004, Eyadema entered talks with the EU to resume development cooperation and agreed to democratic reforms. Before most could be implemented, he died and the military swore in his son, Faure Gnassingbe, as president. Hastily called elections triggered violence after Gnassigbe was declared the winner.
In August 2006, Gnassingbe signed an accord with opposition leaders aimed at bringing an end to 12 years of political instability. The accord has several stipulations, including the abolition of strict eligibility conditions that force candidates to prove they had renounced all other nationalities, the revision of electoral rolls and equitable access to public media during campaigns. The accord also envisages the formation of a national unity government, which was formally put in place in September 2006 and was to lead the country to parliamentary elections in June 2007.
However, these elections were initially postponed till 5 August and subsequently postponed again to allow more time for an electoral census to take place. At the time of writing no date has been set for parliamentary elections but EU election observers were set to arrive on 16 August 2007.
It is unclear if the agreements governing the conduct of parliamentary elections will be extended to the next presidential election.
Media
The media in Togo has rarely experienced freedom. During the years that Gnassingbe Eyadema was in power, criticism of his regime by the media was seen as a crime of state, and journalists were frequently arrested, attacked and threatened.
Eyadema agreed to decriminalise press offences in 2004 due to pressure from the EU. The new law abolished prison sentences for charges of defamation and insult but heavy fines of up to US$9,200 remained.
This eased the situation slightly but after Eyadema's death and the installation of his son as president, the press once again faced serious restrictions and difficult circumstances, particularly surrounding the time of the 2005 elections.
Several private radio and TV stations were closed on accusations they had carried criticisms of the military-backed succession.
Reporters Without Borders (RWB) expressed concern over the restrictive press climate during the election campaign. It pointed to rules established by the High Council for Broadcasting and Communication (HAAC) that banned privately-owned media from any coverage of the campaign, except for rallies held by candidates, and that limited coverage of all other aspects of the campaign to the state-owned media.
RWB reported that independent journalists complain of being under surveillance and sometimes punished, in a throwback to the times of Eyadema. The press is often politicised and self-censorship takes place to avoid harassment.
As recently as November 2006, Yves Kpeto, a journalist for the private radio station Nana FM, was beaten after being accused of criticising the country's previous president, Eyadema.
Economy
Togo's economy is based mainly on subsistence agriculture, which includes crops of corn, cassava, yams, sorghum, millet, and groundnuts, and exports of phosphates, cocoa, cotton and coffee.
In the 1970's, Togo's economy benefited from high phosphate prices on the world market and the economic problems of nearby countries. It opened its doors to Ghanaians in search of products hard to come by in Ghana and took advantage of import restrictions in Nigeria. As a consequence, Lome became a strong commercial centre with a bustling marketplace, duty free shops and rich businesswomen nicknamed "Nana Benz".
In the 1990s, however, Togo's economy took a serious downturn. A recession caused a drop in phosphate prices, neighbouring countries began to reform their own economies and Western nations imposed sanctions on investment and aid due to human rights abuses.
Heavy investment in infrastructure and state enterprises left the country fiscally unbalanced when government revenues began to drop. Economic reforms were implemented, including the privatisation of state controlled industries, but political instability stalled the process.
In 2004, the EU resumed partial diplomatic ties with Togo, but it is waiting to see if legislative elections in 2007 will be free and fair and create a legitimate legislative assembly before restoring full ties and cooperation.
Much of Togo's economic progress hinges on the resumption of aid flows from Europe and the USA, which would allow lending from the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Africa Development Bank.
The phosphate industry continues to suffer from a depletion of easily accessible deposits and lack of investment, despite estimated reserves of 60 million metric tonnes.
The country also has substantial deposits of marble and limestone.
Population
Togo has a population of six million people. The growth rate is 2.5 percent and women have on average 5.4 children.
There are up to 40 ethnic groups in the country and as many languages are spoken. The most dominant ethnic groups are the Ewe and Kabye. Other significant groups are the Watchi, Kotokoli, Mobas and Mina. The president is from the Kabye tribe and this group has dominated the political and military scene in the country.
French is the official language but, Ewe, Mina and Kabye are the most widely-spoken languages.
Nearly 40 percent of the population follows traditional animist beliefs, including Voodoo, a combination of animist and Roman Catholic practices. Voodoo is most popular along the coast in the south of the country. Another 40 percent of the nation is Christian, mainly Catholic, and the other 20 percent is Muslim.
Development indicators
Togo is ranked 147 out of 177 countries on the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)'s Human Development Index (HDI).
According to the HDI, life expectancy at birth in Togo is 54.5 years and there is a 31 percent probability of dying before the age of 40.
Malnutrition affects 25 percent of children under five, and 48 percent of the population does not have access to an improved water source.
In terms of education, the combined primary, secondary and tertiary gross enrollment ratio is 55 percent and the adult literacy rate is 53.2 percent.
Education
According to the United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (UNESCO), more boys than girls attend primary schools, and 66 percent of children complete a full course of primary education.
Rates drop at the secondary level. According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the net secondary enrollment ratio is 30 percent for boys and 14 percent for girls.
The education of girls remains weak, and UNICEF reports that 39 per cent of all school-age girls in the country are not enrolled or have dropped out of school. The disparities in education are reflected in a high gender gap that stands at 24 percentage points. Of the girls who drop out of primary school, many end up as domestic workers or become the victims of child trafficking.
Human Rights Watch also reported that many children were recruited by traffickers after running out of money to pay for school. Although, primary education is meant to be free, school fees range between US$6 and $20.
In order to encourage parents to send their daughters to school, UNICEF launched the Girls' Education Initiative in Togo, which helps pay fees and supplies, and raises awareness in regions with the lowest female enrollment rates.
Children
The trafficking of children in Togo has become widespread due to extreme poverty in some rural areas. The country also acts as a destination and transit point. A study on child labour in West African states found that as many as one in eight children were sent away from home to work.
The NGO Plan reported that middlemen find it relatively easy to entice families to send their children abroad. Parents are generally told their children will attend school or be paid to work. Instead, children find themselves working on plantations, doing domestic work, or being forced to do commerce in markets for little or no pay and for excessively long hours. In many cases, the situations of the children amount to indentured servitude or slavery.
An in-depth study by Human Rights Watch documented four child trafficking routes in Togo. There is the trafficking of Togolese girls into domestic and market labour in Gabon, Benin, Nigeria and Niger; the trafficking of girls within Togo, particularly to the capital Lome; the trafficking of girls from Benin, Nigeria and Ghana to Lome; and the trafficking of boys into labour exploitation, mainly in Nigeria, Benin and Cote d'Ivoire.
The report found that many children who were trafficked were from single-parent families, and frequently one or both parents had succumbed to HIV/AIDS. Some girls trafficked were as young as three years old, and girls rarely received any remuneration for the wok they did. Many of the girls suffered physical and sexual abuse, forcing them to flee and live on the street. A number have contracted HIV/AIDS.
Interviewed boys reported that they were sent to work in cotton fields in Benin and to do agricultural labour in southwestern Nigeria.
Some girls who fled or were abandoned resorted to prostitution for survival and ended up at Lome's so-called "marché du petit vagin", which translates into the "market of the small vagina", also a destination for trafficked girls.
In 2005, parliament passed a new law whereby traffickers could face five to 10 years in prison and be fined between US$1,000 and $2,000. The law was drafted in response to Togo being ranked as one of the worst countries for human trafficking, according to a US government report.
Child rights activists welcomed the new law but felt it failed to provide help for children once found.
The Ministry of Social Affairs said that last year 3,000 children were intercepted at the border as they were being trafficked and the National Committee for the Reception and Social Reinsertion of Trafficked Children reported that 2,458 children aged 5-17 were repatriated to the country between 2002 and 2004.
Child marriage is still common in Togo. UNICEF estimates that 41 percent of girls in rural areas are married before the age of 18.
Health
The ongoing socio-political crisis in Togo has had a negative impact on its health sector. There are only four doctors for every 100,000 people and public spending on health has dropped from 12.3 percent in 1999 to 5.7 percent in 2002. Government per capita health expenditure is only US$4.
Just under half of all births are assisted by a skilled attendant and the maternal mortality rate is 570 for every 100,000 live births. The infant mortality rate is 78 for every 1,000 and the under-five mortality rate is 139 for every 1,000. These figures have barely dropped since 1990.
In December 2004, several international partners joined to provide 97 per cent of children between nine months old and just under five years old with four health interventions at once. These included vaccines to prevent measles and polio, mosquito nets to prevent malaria and de-worming tablets to treat intestinal parasites.
According to UNICEF, only 35 percent of the population uses adequate sanitation facilities and 52 percent of the population has access to an improved water source.
HIV/AIDS
According to the United Nations Programme for HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS in adults between 15 and 49 years old in Togo is 3.2 percent, but government statistics from 2001 showed a prevalence rate of six percent among adults, making Togo the third worst-affected country in West Africa after Cote d'Ivoire and Liberia.
HIV surveillance information on women attending antenatal clinics has been collected in Togo since 1991. Women tested at antenatal clinics in the capital, Lome, between 1996 and 2003 showed an HIV prevalence of between seven and eight percent. In 2003, sentinel surveillance was also conducted in the five regions of the country. In the urban areas, HIV prevalence among women attending antenatal care clinics ranged from 5.5 percent to 8.2 percent.
According to UNAIDS, there are 9,700 children under 14 living with HIV/AIDS and UNICEF estimates that 88,000 children under 17 have been orphaned by the disease. Some experts have found that the rise in orphans due to HIV/AIDS has made these children more susceptible to child trafficking.
Providing anti-retroviral treatments (ARVs) to patients has been a challenge in Togo. The Global Fund for the Fight Against Malaria, Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS is the main donor of ARVs in the country. It provides ARV treatment to some 3,500 patients. International and local NGOs take care of another 3,000 patients, but 18,000 HIV-infected people are still in need of medication.
In January 2006, the Global Fund halted one of two three-year HIV grants amounting to US$15.5 million due to "irregularities" in the information provided on the management of the money.
Another obstacle to treatment is the cost, which hovers around $27 a month, making it out of reach for many patients in Togo.
Food security
Poor harvests, drought, and rapid population growth put strains on Togo's food supplies in the 1970's, prompting the government to launch an initiative called the green revolution, which brought institutional, financial and technical support to agriculture with the aim of making the country self-sufficient.
Ten years after implementation, the French Institute for Research in Development did a study that found that although crops and cattle production had increased, a growing population and the need for cereal and cattle imports confirmed that the country still was not food self-sufficient.
Today, nearly 70 percent of the population is engaged in subsistence farming and cash crops make up 20 to 30 percent of agricultural output.
Another measure put in place by the government to try to ensure food security is the Food Security Observatory of Togo. This agency stocks corn, the main food staple in the country, in case of drastic hikes in prices on the world market or deficits.
Acccording to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), nearly one quarter of the population suffers from malnutrition.
Gender issues
Although the law provides for gender equality, traditional law generally takes precedence in cases involving women. As a consequence, women's rights tend to be limited, particularly surrounding the issues of inheritance, property rights and financial support in the event of divorce. Polygamy is still practiced in Togo, putting women's rights in marriage at a disadvantage.
Although women are actively engaged in labour, most are confined to fieldwork and market commerce.
The NGO Women, Law and Development in Africa (WILDAF), which monitors and promotes the implementation of The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), identified causes for discrimination against women in Togo. These included a lack of awareness amongst men and women regarding the rights of women, the persistence of the traditional view of women as inferior, heavy familial and societal pressure, a lack of financial means on the part of women, isolation from tribunals and lack of knowledge regarding legal proceedings, and little sensitisation among judges regarding women's rights.
It also found the following negative trends in Togolese society with regards to gender parity. These were a high prevalence of forced and underage marriages, legal inaction in cases of violence against women, including all forms of sexual abuse, the persistence of degrading and humiliating traditions regarding widowhood, the legal right of a husband to oppose his wife's employment and parental rights going to the father in cases where a child is born out of wedlock.
According to WILDAF, there is also low female participation of women in politics. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) reported that 7.4 percent of seats in parliament were held by women.
Human rights
Togo's record on human rights remains poor. Abuses were most recent during the period between the death of President Eyadema in 2004 and elections in 2005.
In September, a fact-finding mission set up by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights investigated the violence that erupted after the elections and forced 40,000 people to flee in fear of persecution. It concluded that between 400 and 500 people were killed and thousands wounded and that state security forces and militia groups were responsible for the political violence and violations of human rights. It found evidence that commando units within the Togolese Armed Forces (FAT) had been primed "not only to crush the demonstrators and militants but also to round up the corpses and systematically dispose of them so that they could not be counted". The report also criticised opposition groups for their part in the serious violence.
Amnesty International, in a 2006 report, said both government forces and armed militia groups close to the ruling party unlawfully killed civilians between February and April 2005. Some were killed in indiscriminate attacks, while others were deliberately targeted and extra-judicially executed. Some people were beaten to death in front of their family. It also noted that people were arrested for activities related to the political opposition and detained for up to two months without charge or trial, and that women linked to the opposition were sometimes raped.
On the one-year anniversary of the election violence, seven human rights groups said the Togolese authorities had not done anything to identify and charge those responsible for the human rights abuses that had taken place.
A collective of anti-impunity organisations have come together to seek redress from security forces, militia groups and others. So far, over 100 people have lodged complaints with the judiciary in the hope this will open an inquiry and bring the perpetrators to trial.
Members of human rights organisations have said they regularly face harassment, intimidation and the risk of attack.
Humanitarian needs
Togo's humanitarian needs are centred around the continued repatriation of refugees still in Ghana and Benin. As of August 2006, some 16,500 refugees remained in both countries, and officials say efforts will continue to repatriate them.
Other needs include greater access to potable water, rehabilitation of the health system and the modernisation of the agricultural sector.
Observers say it will be difficult for Togo to make progress without the resumption of foreign aid, which hinges on improving human rights and taking steps towards good governance. |
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| Togo in figures |
· Population: 6 million
· Pop. growth rate: 2.5%
· GDP per capita: $1,536
· Debt service of GDP: NA
· Pop. below poverty line: 32.3%
· Life expectancy: 54.5 years
· Infant mortality: 78 deaths/1,000 live births
· Access to med. services: NA
· HIV prevalence: 3.2 %
· Access to clean water: (urban 80%, rural 36%)
· Access to electricity: (urban 41%, rural 2%)
· Literacy rate: (men 69%), (women 38% )
· Doctors/people: 0.04/1000
· Displaced people: 3,000
· Refugees: 16,500
· Human development index: 0.495 (HDI 2006 Rank 147)
Sources: UNDP, World Bank, WHO, UNAIDS, UNHCR, UNICEF |
| Basic facts |
Capital: Lome
Language: French (official), Ewe and Mina (the two major African languages in the south), Kabye (sometimes spelled Kabiye) and Dagomba (the two major African languages in the north)
Ethnic Groups %: Ewe 22.2%, Kabye 13.4%, Wachi 10%, Mina 5.6%, Kotokoli 5.6%, Bimoba 5.2%, Losso 4%, Gurma 3.4%, Lamba 3.2%, Adja 3%, other 24.4%
Religions %: indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40% (mainly Roman Catholic), Muslim 20%
Geography: gently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southern plateau; low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes
Border countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana
Natural resources: phosphates, limestone, marble, iron
Agriculture products: coffee, cocoa, cotton, yams, cassava (tapioca), corn, beans, rice, millet, sorghum; livestock; fish
Sources: Encyclopedia Britannica |
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