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I can add a little bit to the Togo election situation
Steve Grogoza
My name is Steve Grogoza and I was in the wells program in Sokode from 1978 to 1979 and then transferred to Liberia after the funding did not come through. One of the kids who hung around my house was Francois Boko, who became the Minister of the Interior for the past 2 and a half years and was in charge of setting up this last presidential election.
I went to Togo in June 2003 as an observer in that presidential election and also went to Togo for this recent election. I had numerous conversations with Francois before I went to Togo for the last election and he continually told me that the election was a farce and that he was trying to change it. Tuesday, April 19, two hours before I left for the airport, I called him and asked if the election was still going to be held. He told me that he was told by the military that if he kept complaining about the fraudulent election and did something to stall the election and not certify its results that he and his family would be killed. He told me that he was sending his wife and son out of Togo that day to Paris and was going to announce that the election was a fraud and would seek asylum at the US Embassy.
I arrived in Lome around 11 pm on Thursday, April 21. He sent a car to meet me at the airport and brought me directly to his office where he told me that he had called a press conference for 2 am, that he was going to cancel the election, resign and then he and I would head for Benin to leave for Paris. After he had his press conference, we took off but the borders were already in the process of being closed and there was a lot of security on the road looking for him. We turned around and went to the German Embassy because it was the easiest to get to. The German Ambassador was not happy to have him, but agreed to give him temporary protection. I had to leave and went to a "safehouse" rather than to the hotel because a lot of the authorities knew me through Francois and knew that I had a reservation at Hotel Sarakawa. It was thought that if I could be found, I would lead the military to Francois.
Later that day, I returned to the German Embassy. Francois was making numerous press conferences via cell phone, which the Togolese obviously did not like. We then found out that they had arrested his 60 year old sister and 9 members of his staff. He called the new Minister of the Interior and I could hear a lot of shouting with words such as "traitre" and "mort." But they agreed to let them go.
The next day the atmosphere changed at the German Embassy. The ambassador came into his room and gave him a letter from the Togolese Foreign Ministry to the German Embassy and said that they knew that Francois was there and had to be released to the Togo authorities. We tried to figure out how the Togolese found out that he was there and the ambassador said that he had only spoken with General Tchangas, the Ghanaian General in charge of ECOWAS. The ambassador said that he had spoken with Tchangas on the condition of confidentiality and had to him that he was in contact with Francois and could ECOWAS guarantee his safety out of Togo. Tchangas said no and obviously immediately notified the Togolese authorities.
Francois said that the family had paid Tchangas $3,000,000 to ensure that the election was held and that the president's son won. This did not seem so strange because ECOWAS as well as France, both condemned Francois for his actions. The ambassador then told me that I had to leave and should not come back to the embassy. As I was leaving he told me that Francois had to leave the following morning at 7am. I went back into Francois' room and told him this and he asked me to go the US Embassy. The ambassador told me that he had already spoken with the US Embassy and that they refused to help and that I would be wasting my time.
I went to the US Embassy and eventually met with the charge d'affaires at this house. There is no US ambassador in Togo at this moment. He told me that he knew of Francois' courage and the US applauded him, but that the only way that the US Embassy would accept Francois at the embassy was if he was at their doorstep, bleeding from the head, and had 100 armed soldiers running after him. I told the charge d'affaires that so much for the US being the pillar and shining light for human rights and democracy. His only response was that I was not to bring Francois to the embassy.
In the meantime, Francois' wife and friends in Paris had contacted Amnesty International which put pressure on the Germans not to release Francois to the Togolese authorities. I was able to get out a few days later after seeing him two more times and Francois got out 2 weeks ago with a special detachment of German soldiers and a private airplane which flew him to Paris. He is now in Paris with his family and I am trying to get him a visa to come to the US to tell his story because France does not want to help him in any way and he is fed up with France anyway.
Steve Grogoza
20 mai 2005
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