Togo hints at joining the new alliance of Sahel states

Togo’s foreign minister has hinted that Togo may join the new Alliance of Sahel States (AES) as the major geopolitical realignment of the Sahel region continue.

According to Africa News on January 17th, Minister Robert Dussey said that joining the alliance was “not impossible” , adding that the decision ultimataley pertains to the President of the Republic.

In an attempt to give credit to the idea, he suggested that the decision of joining the alliance probably had the support of the Togolese population as a whole.

The AES was etablished in December by a grouping of African countries including Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, after leaving the Economic Community of the West African States (ECOWAS) that demanded that they restore democratic rule in their respective countries.

According to Jeune Afrique, Tchad was deemed the most likely to join the alliance due to its geographical vicinity and political similarity as a military regime, in addition to its common denunciation of Western and French influence in the region.

According to the media, these comments are timely, as military regimes of the AES seek legitimacy in the region.

This comes after Togo’s President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé had first attempted to reconcile the departing countries with the ECOWAS.

The leader of Togo is also active at home, as he is directing the country towards a new constitution which, according to official comments, will allow for more representation.

His critics, however, say the constitutional change is effectively a coup, as the the President will no longer be elected by universal suffrage.

While the new Presidential office is meant to be honorary according the new constitution, it will allow Gnassingbé to remain in office indefinitely.

Crucially, Togo joining the AES would allow the alliance to access the sea via Togo’s Lome port, a worthy catch for the landlocked Sahel countries.

Africa News, Jeune Afrique