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Mindenki azt találgatja Latin-Amerikában, hogy melyik lesz a következő ország, ahol elbukik, vagy jelentősen meggyengül a (radikális) baloldali hatalom. A sort Argentína nyitotta meg novemberben, majd decemberben következett Venezuela. Előbbiben az államfőt, Cristina Fernández de Kirchnert váltották le a szavazók, utóbbiban a radikális baloldali tömörülés uralta parlamentet menesztették. Venezuelában ráadásul elsöprő győzelmet aratott a 2009-ben alakult, harmincpárti (!) ellenzéki koalíció (MUD), megszerezve a kétharmados törvényhozási többséget. A pártszövetségben megtalálni a mérsékelt baloldal és a (szélső)jobboldal képviselőit is.

Crimean Tatars condemn the anti-Russian policy of the Turkish government and demand urgent moves to resolve the conflict between the two countries, a public movement of the ethnic Tatars living on the Black Sea peninsula said in a resolution on Saturday.

Des dizaines de membres présumés du Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK) ont été tués selon Ankara, ces quatre derniers jours, dans le sud-est du pays, où l’armée a lancé une opération d’envergure avec pour objectif de déloger ces militants. Au total, 10 000 hommes ont été mobilisés pour cette offensive d’une ampleur inédite qui se concentre sur deux villes près de la frontière syrienne et irakienne.

Se disant très préoccupé par l'escalade continuelle de la violence au Burundi, le Conseil de sécurité des Nations Unies a appelé samedi à l'intensification d'urgence des efforts de médiation par les Etats d'Afrique de l'Ouest et a exhorté toutes les parties prenantes à la crise burundaise à coopérer pleinement avec la future mission de maintien de la paix de l'Union africaine (UA).

L'opportunisme politique et religieux au Mali: plaies d'une société dirigée par le mensonge.   En novembre 2015, 22 personnes ont été tuées à l'hôtel Rabisson Blu à

Les électeurs espagnols se rendent aux urnes pour renouveler leur Parlement ce dimanche. Les bureaux de vote fermeront à 20h TU. Le scrutin, bousculé par l’arrivée des jeunes mouvements Podemos et Ciudadanos, est très incertain et s’annonce particulièrement serré. Le Parti populaire de Mariano Rajoy pourrait bien perdre sa majorité.

December 19, 2015 (JUBA) – An alliance of 18 South Sudanese political parties claim majority of South Sudanese have now discovered the idea behind the creation of the 28 new state states and have joined voices objecting to President Salva Kiir's directive.

President Salva Kiir addresses the nation at the South Sudan National Parliament in Juba, November 18, 2015. (Photo Reuters/Jok Solomun)

“This government, the present government has been living in a different world and behalves differently. It has been adopting a strange policy, a policy of acting first and think later in order to fool the people of South Sudan. Now the very people have discovered that the government was no longer working for the interest of the very people it purports to represent”, Martin Aligo, the secretary general of the alliance told Sudan Tribune.

Aligo said the way people reacted when exchange rates were floated was a demonstration that government cared less about policies which would harm ordinary people, but rather utilized it to maximise their interests at all cost.

“People have been coming to us at the alliance to say thank you for standing for truth and we told them congratulation for discovery. Now if they care about the people, let them do a survey and see what the reaction would be about these economic reforms. The result would certainly be embarrassing for them. And I challenge them to do so and let us see what happens if they deny. People are fed up”, said Aligo.

"Some of the people who initially supported the creation of 28 states are now regretting and they are the ones now championing the reverse of the decision because they have now discovered the reason", he added.

In October President Salva Kiir criticized his current governance system which he said had been holding the people's power in the center within Juba and proposed the need to adopt a federal system of governance in the world's youngest nation.

“Over the last ten years, the power which was given to you by the CPA [Comprehensive Peace Agreement] has remained in the center,” Kiir told the state-owned SSTV, referring to the peace deal signed in January 2005 with Sudan.

The CPA granted South Sudanese a referendum on self-determination which resulted to overwhelming vote for secession from Sudan in 2011. He said his rationale for delaying creation of more states in devolution of powers to the people was because he was allegedly busy preparing for referendum from 2005 to 2011.

“My administration in the center was busy with issues to do with your self-determination such that you become free and sovereign state. Now, indeed you are free, therefore, there is no reason for me to retain your constitutional right for self-governance, self-reliance, self-development and determine your through free, fair and democratic elections in three years to come,” said the South Sudanese leader.

According to President Kiir, the creation of the 28 states, which was meant to come into effect within 30 days, would provide an opportunity to “develop your locality, your home villages through mobilization of local and states resources.”

“We should therefore abandon culture of war and embrace culture of peace, co-existence and hard work such [that] you and I together develop our country because our country is a country of opportunities,” stressed the president.

The order number 36/2015 AD for creation of new states of South Sudan stated that the president would now have the chance to nominate more state governors and additional members of the state assembly in his newly created states.

The sitting state members of parliament (MPs) will be maintained at 21 members in each state and there will be no more than 21 lawmakers.

The president acknowledged that his administration has been facing economic declines, surging unemployment as a consequence of the war which erupted on 15 December 2013.

It is not clear where more resources will be mobilized to fund the development of the states as the creation of 18 more states, which came as a surprise to the nation and the international community.

THE NEW STATES

In the breakdown of the states, Kiir created 8 states for greater Equatoria which included Imatong, Namurnyang, Maridi, Budi, Amadi, Jubek, Terekeka and Yei river.

For greater Bahr el Ghazal he decreed into being 10 states namely, Wau, Aweil, Ngor, Aweil East, Twic, Gogrial, Tonj, Eastern Lakes, Western Lakes and Gok.

In greater Upper Nile he decreed 10 states to include Leer, Northern Guit, Ruweng, Eastern Nile, Jonglei, Western Nile, Eastern Bie, Lajor, Buma and Western Bie.

(ST)

December 19, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - A passerby in the streets of Khartoum can see hundreds of Syrian families who fled the devastating war that swept most of the Mediterranean nation's territories.

Sudanese and Syrian protesters demonstrate against the continued violence in Syria outside Sudan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Khartoum November 23, 2011. (Reuters)

As a result of that carnage, millions of civilians were scattered around the world in search of safety. Like many other countries, Sudan had had its share of these asylum seekers.

In the elite Riyadh and New Extension suburbs of Khartoum, one can see a lot of small businesses run by Syrian nationals. Some of these shops sell delicious Syrian food substances that range from candy to fast food, attracting noteworthy numbers of customers.

Some of these refugees have also opened a lot of crafts shops.

These small businesses provide lots of Syrian refugees with what can be described as scratchy livelihoods , given the harsh economic conditions of Sudan.

An estimated 105 thousand Syrian refugees now live in Sudan. The Government has given them the rights of residence , movement, work, free education and medication . Some philanthropic Sudanese families have hosted Syrian families who cannot afford the high house rents.

Compared to the many Syrian refugees who found a means of bread winning, hundreds of Syrian asylum seekers who failed to be classified as refugees depend on handouts from local charities and from Sudanese and Syrian traders .

Some of these refugees beg in the City streets or around mosques and marketplaces.

Mazin Abul Khair , an official of ‘the office for serving Syrian families in Sudan' said just about 100 Syrian nationals live on begging.

“The office has tried to help these but they declined to accept food baskets and financial aid we offered them, because they feel begging is far more lucrative than what we give,'' Khair told Sudan Tribune.

He said in the year 2012 some Syrian traders living in Sudan had set up a committee to take care of the refugees .The committee, that started with six families , now aids 700 families .

He said his office is run on voluntary basis and depends , primarily, on Syrian traders and some Sudanese businessmen. The office also receives some assistance from local charities.

The office offers a food basket for each of the registered families. It also provides job opportunities to the youth and pays house rents for the poor families.

Khair lamented the fact that many Syrian children could not continue with their education though the Sudanese Government had exempted all Syrian refugee children from school fees. "This is because of the difference in dialect and the difficult educational environment here," he said.

To secure the future of these children , the office has embarked on the establishment of a Syrian school , he said, adding that the office has already obtained all the required paper work and is now looking for funding for the school.

Sudanese refugees commissioner al-Mardi Salih said they strive to find lodgings to the Syrian refugees.

He said the Government of Sudan had accorded the Syrian refugees all the rights of citizenship enjoyed by any Sudanese national.

Salih also said his commission has embarked on the registration of these Syrians , giving them ‘'guest IDs'' that allow them access to free education and medical care.

‘' In the long run we can provide these people with housing in the form of camps in Khartoum. We can also give them sums to rent homes,'' he said.

(ST)

December 19, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) - The rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) has dismissed media reports Saturday in Khartoum claiming that the movement would participate in the final session of the dialogue conference.

A SPLA-N fighter holds up his rifle near Jebel Kwo village in the rebel-held territory of the Nuba Mountains in South Kordofan on 2 May 2012 (Photo: Goran Tomasevic/Reuters)

The government-led national dialogue conference was inaugurated in Khartoum on October 10th amid large boycott from the major political and armed opposition.

In a press release Saturday, SPLM-N peace file spokesperson, Mubarak Ardol, dismissed as “untrue” press reports that a delegation from the movement would participate in the final session of the dialogue conference in Khartoum.

He stressed that those reports has nothing to do with the informal discussions that took place between the SPLM-N and the government in Addis Ababa.

In a press conference Friday, member of the dialogue body known as 7+7 Faisal Hassan Ibrahim expected that several members of the SPLM-N would soon join the dialogue conference.

However, Ardol pointed in his statement that the SPLM-N is negotiating with the Sudanese government not the 7+7 mechanism, saying the latter should refrain from issuing inaccurate statements.

“Unless its [the 7+7 mechanism] objective was to spoil the unremitting efforts made by the conflicting parties to achieve comprehensive solutions and equitable dialogue with the participation of all parties in order to end the war in the Two Areas and Darfur and to achieve national consensus and to bring Sudan's political and economic isolation to an end,” he said.

Last November the government and the SPLM-N failed to reach cessation of hostilities and humanitarian access agreements in the Two Areas, as the five-day talks showed that important gaps persist in the positions of the two sides.

On Friday, the two sides wrapped up a three-day informal meeting organized by the African Union High Implementation Panel (AUHIP) in Addis Ababa to explore ways to overcome their differences.

The two sides were not able to reach an agreement on the main outstanding issues but agreed to resume discussions soon.

The rare appearance of the SPLM-N chief negotiator Yasser Arman on the government-owned Sudan TV channel following the end of the informal discussions has prompted speculations that a political settlement was imminent, particularly as security services prevents local newspapers and official TV channels from mentioning any statements or remarks by rebel leaders.

The SPLM-N calls for a comprehensive peace agreement in Sudan including the political opposition, saying they refuses to repeat the 2005 peace agreement that led to the separation of South Sudan. They say the issue of the Two Areas should be resolved within a national approach.

The Sudanese army has been fighting SPLM-N rebels in Blue Nile and South Kordofan since 2011.

December 19, 2015 (JUBA) – A senior leader of the ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), Majak Agot, has called on the people of greater Dinka Bor community in general and his Twic clan in particular to exercise calm over the recent abusive attack on Rebecca Nyandeng, widow of the founder of the SPLM, John Garang de Mabior, in a church in Juba.

Rebecca Nyandeng de Mabior (ST File Photo)

Sudan Tribune two weeks ago published the report of the attack on the lady whom many South Sudanese referred to as the ‘mother' of the newly founded nation.

Nyandeng was disrespectfully insulted only two days after her return to the national capital, Juba, from Nairobi, Kenya, where she had been in exile for two years following the eruption of the war on 15 December 2015.

Due to her condemnation of the war, blaming it on the South Sudanese president, Salva Kiir, whom she accused of dictatorship and massacre of thousands of members of the Nuer ethnic group in Juba by his presidential guards, she was criticized by those who disapproved of her stance.

A woman, who allegedly hails from Dinka Bor county, uttered insults at Nyandeng while on attendance of a church service at Emmanuel Jieng Parish church in Juba, and reportedly approached her with the intention to slap her before she was restrained by other church leaders and members.

The attack also prompted reactions from members of the Twic East community, where she and her late husband hail, with those mainly in the diaspora publishing condemnation articles in the media, describing it as an attack on Twic East community in general by the Bor community of Bor county.

However, on Saturday, Agot, who was deputy minister for defense and veterans affairs before the country's crisis, appealed to the people of the three greater Bor community of Bor, Twic East and Duk counties to let go the anger generated by the attack on Nyandeng.

Agot, who was accompanying Nyandeng to the church when the insults were uttered at her, confirmed the incident which he said he witnessed despite attempts by some quarters to bury the truth of what transpired in the church, but added the incident was a normal occurrence in the culture of politics in the country.

“I know there are some people here in this country who do not want the truth to be said but we have to break that circle and try to be honest to our people,” Agot told his community gathering at Kush Resort during Duk County fundraising ceremony on Friday in Juba.

“In politics 10 people may like you whereas other 10 people will not like you and that is politics,” a Juba-based The Nation Mirror quoted him as saying on Friday.

Agot, who is a member of the 10-person group known as the ‘former detainees' who together returned to Juba with Nyandeng last month however said the incident was bad because it happened inside a church.

The recent appeal by the political leader from the greater Dinka community came as the church incident seemed to have continued to linger in the minds of those who condemned it.

Nyandeng is being blamed by a section of her Bor community for being vocal about the weaknesses of president Salva Kiir's government and for allowing her eldest son, Mabior Garang, to join the armed opposition faction led by former vice-president, Riek Machar.

(ST)

December 19, 2015 (NYALA) - Police in South Darfur said that it has burned more than five thousands hectares of cannabis and seized 60,870 weed heads in Sango and Al-Radoom areas in the largest anti-drug operation in the area.

Photo showing amounts of Sudanese Cannabis or Bango as called by locals

South Darfur's police director Ahmed Osman Mohamed, who addressed the national police day celebration Saturday in the state's capital, Nyala, said the police managed to destroy 5,000 hectares of cannabis, pointing to fierce clashes with the drugs traffickers.

He noted the police arrested several drugs traders and seized large amounts of cannabis which were in their possession, underscoring the perpetrators would be brought before trial following the completion of the investigation.

Mohamed added the police also seized large quantity of weapons from the drugs traders, stressing they intend to eradicate drugs cultivation in the state besides monitoring drug trafficking from neighboring countries.

Last week, 12 people were killed in clashes between gunmen and drug traffickers in Balbala area in the locality of Al-Fardous, East Darfur state.

Drug trade is spread in the southern localities of East Darfur state due to its close proximity to areas where cannabis is grown such as Al-Radom and Sango in South Darfur state.

Meanwhile, the police director pointed they put in place a precise plan to achieve several objectives including securing primary and high schools exams next March, protecting the planting season and reducing tribal clashes.

For his part, the governor of South Darfur state Adam al-Faki said the regular forces managed to crush rebellion and is currently fighting against drug traders, noting that illegal drugs is a major source of destabilization in the state.

He underlined that the regular forces would make every possible effort to dry out sources of drugs production, saying that illegal drugs pose the same danger as rebellion and tribal conflicts.

South Darfur state is considered one of the major sources of illegal drugs production in Sudan. Cannabis is being cultivated in three main areas in the state including Sango, Al-Radom and East Jebel Marra.

Drug traders usually use small and heavy arms to protect their farms against police raids which led to the killing of several police officers.

(ST)

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

December 19, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – At least 75 people have so been killed during the weeks of protests that are taking place in Ethiopia's Oromia region against the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa's expansion plan, Human Rights Watch said Saturday.

A group of protestors carry placards in support of Oromia region (Opride.com)

Since last month, students from Ethiopia's largest ethnic group, Oromo, have been protesting against the controversial “Addis Ababa Integrated Development Master Plan” proposed by the central government to expand Addis Ababa to parts of Oromia region.

The majority of those protesting have argues that the expansion plan will lead to large scale evictions of several farmers from their ancestral lands.

They also fear their land will be grabbed without appropriate compensation.
Presently, an estimated two million people, mostly farmers live in the Oromia region areas that have proposed by the government for expansion.

Hundreds of farmers have also joined the protest, which continues in larger parts of the region amid fears it could spread to other parts of the country.

The Ethiopian government has earlier acknowledged that only five of the protesters were killed following the ongoing clashes with security forces since began on 12 November in western Oromia regional state, but the rights body says 75 people died.

“Police and military forces have fired on demonstrations, killing at least 75 protesters and wounding many others, according to activists”, is said.

According to Human Rights Watch, the Ethiopian government on December 15 announced that the protesters had a “direct connection with forces that have taken missions from foreign terrorist groups” and that Ethiopia's Anti-Terrorism Task Force would lead the response.

“The Ethiopian government's response to the Oromia protests has resulted in scores dead and a rapidly rising risk of greater bloodshed,” said Leslie Lefkow, the deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch.

It accused Ethiopian security forces of using excessive lethal force.

“While police have the responsibility to maintain order during protests, they should only use force when strictly necessary and in a proportionate manner”, it said, calling for freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

The human rights group further urged authorities in Ethiopia to support prompt, independent investigations into the events in Oromia region, including by the United Nations and African Union (AU) human rights experts on freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.

Governments and intergovernmental organizations, including the AU, should raise concerns about the excessive use of force against protesters and call on Ethiopia to respect fundamental human rights in its response to the protests, the rights entity said.

“Ethiopia's security forces seem to have learned nothing from last year's protests, and, instead of trying to address the grievances that are catalyzing the protests, are shooting down more protesters,” said Lefkow.

He added, “Concerned governments and institutions should call on Ethiopia to halt its excessive use of force and stop this spiral into further violence”.

The government accuses some of the protesters of having links with some anti-peace forces including with Ginbot-7, an exiled opposition movement which had long been designated by Addis Ababa as a terrorist entity.

“The government's labeling of largely peaceful protesters as ‘terrorists' and deploying military forces is a very dangerous escalation of this volatile situation,” stressed Lefkow.

Meanwhile, Ethiopian police said Friday that it seized from Addis Ababa bus station weapons which were being transported to unspecified place.

Last week, Ethiopian security forces detained 10 members of Ginbot-7 who they claimed were allegedly deployed by arch-rival Eritrea to carryout terrorist attacks on the public and government development institutions.

They were arrested some few days before a hand grenade attack at Ethiopia's biggest mosque in the capital last week left 24 people wounded.

(ST)

December 18, 2015 (BOR) - The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has distributed 16 wooden canoes to boost an estimated 400 fishermen in South Sudan's Jonglei state.

Fishermen in Mayen village loading boats for distribution, December 17, 2015 (ST)

The donation was part of efforts to improve fishing in the capital, Bor.

One of the major fish producing states along the River Nile, Jonglei lacked fishing equipment, preservative boxes and good landing sites, which were identified as major challenges in region before NRC came in to support the local fishing communities.

“We are giving boats because we have seen huge needs for them. These people are doing fishing but they have challenges and we have identified they don't have boats which they can use for fishing”, said David Machar, a food security officer with NRC.

The agency had planned to distribute a total of 16 boats with carrying capacities of at least half tone, depending on whether it was dry or wet fish.

Distribution of the boats started from Akuak and Mayen villages at the riverside to Gakyuom in Bor and expected to reach Kolnyang in a few days.

According to NRC's plan, one boat would serve 25 fishermen involved in the activity. In total, 400 beneficiaries would receive 16 boats at the end.

Before the South Sudan crisis erupted in December 2013, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) distributed small canoes to the population in Jonglei through its partners. Many of the boats are, however, idly lying in areas like Likuangule town in Pibor county.

Adeng Ngong, the chief of Mayen village said his people would be able to access far fishing grounds and catch lots of fish using the distributed canoes.

“With these canoes in hands, we will be able to take our nets for fishing to places we never reached before, this will increase our catch”, said Ngong.

Meanwhile some of the locals also said they would easily use the boats to ferry people to the other side of the river in case another conflict breaks out.

South Sudan is traditionally a cattle-dominated economy. However, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the fishing sector, if fully developed, could give 80,000 South Sudanese employment and enough food to eat while exporting fish could reportedly earn the world's youngest nation an estimated half a billion dollars annually.

(ST)

Djibouti's bid for modernisation may threaten rich cultural mix

A spanyolországi Mireia Lalaguna Royo nyerte szombaton a Miss World szépségverseny Kínában rendezett döntőjét, a második helyen az orosz, harmadik helyen az indonéz versenyző végzett.

Le gouvernement malien a annoncé que 29 rebelles prisonniers « seront libérées dans les tous prochains jours », a indiqué le président du Comité de suivi de l’accord de paix (CSA), signé en mai et juin derniers à Bamako, le diplomate algérien Ahmed Boutache. Il a précisé qu’une réunion se tiendra lundi prochain lors de laquelle « une […]

19.12.2015 par G.V. (avec AFP) - JDD La Turquie a annoncé samedi soir qu'elle "poursuivra" le retrait de ses troupes d'Irak, au lendemain d'un appel téléphonique du président américain Barack Obama à son homologue turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan l'invitant...

Plus de 380.000 enfants âgés de 7 à 15 ans ne sont pas scolarisés dans le nord du Mali, trois mois après la rentrée scolaire, à cau se de l’insécurité, a déploré vendredi le Fonds des Nations Unies pour l’enfance (UNICEF). Dans un communiqué, le représentant de l’UNICEF au Mali, Fran Equiza, indique qu’environ une […]

L’information est reprise mardi par le site de propagande du pouvoir republicoftogo.com. Le Togo fait désormais partie d’une coalition de pays « islamiques » pour « combattre le terrorisme » et Daesh.
 
Le Togo vient ainsi de s’engager dans une hasardeuse et improbable guerre contre une nébuleuse que personne n’est encore arrivé, depuis des années, à gagner. Mais qui occasionne, quotidiennement, des dégâts énormes et des pertes en vies humaines à plusieurs pays dont les plus puissants au monde (la France et les USA notamment).
 
« Depuis Riyad, le ministre de la défense et vice-prince héritier saoudien, Mohamed Ben Salman, le nouvel homme fort du royaume, a annoncé, mardi 15 décembre, la formation d’une coalition de 34 pays musulmans « contre le terrorisme ». Par ce groupement « de volontaires » aux objectifs et aux moyens encore vagues, qui vise notamment l’organisation Etat islamique (EI) sans la nommer, le royaume entend se présenter en rempart du monde sunnite contre l’extrémisme et répondre aux critiques occidentales sur son manque d’engagement dans la lutte contre l’EI », écrit sur son site le journal français « Le Monde ».
 
« Un centre de coordination doit être mis en place à Riyad dans les prochaines semaines. La coalition comprend un volet sécuritaire et militaire : échange de renseignement, entraînement, équipement et déploiement de forces « si nécessaire », selon les demandes et les moyens disponibles, au cas par cas.Un volet « idéologique » doit permettre de développer des outils pour contrer les capacités d’endoctrinement des groupes djihadistes, omniprésents sur les réseaux sociaux, mais également la propagande du califat autoproclamé d’Abou Bakr Al-Baghdadi, en rivalité ouverte avec l’Arabie saoudite pour le leadership sunnite », précise lemonde.fr.
 
« Cette coalition s’inscrit dans le cadre du conflit qui oppose l’Arabie Saoudite (Sunnite Salafiste) et l’Iran (Chiite) pour la domination du Moyen Orient », renchérit 20minutes.fr. « Son triomphe ne ramènerait nullement la paix dans la région, car les régimes qu’elle instaurerait n’auraient rien de démocratique », analyse le site.
 
Il apparaît bien que cette nouvelle coalition à laquelle Faure Gnassingbé a choisi délibérément d’engager le Togo est loin de viser un objectif humanitaire. Il faut déjà se rappeler que, contrairement aux nombreuses missions de paix auxquelles le Togo participe, cette fois, on n’est pas dans le cadre des Nations Unies. On est bien dans une alliance « aux objectifs et aux moyens vagues », comme souligné par lemonde.fr et qui se présente beaucoup plus comme une alliance idéologique sunnite, sans le dire, contre l’influence chiite dans une région située à des milliers de kilomètres du Togo.
 
On voit mal l’intérêt que peut avoir un petit pays comme le Togo dans une pareille coalition aux idéologies bien précises (islamique et sunnite). Pourtant, dès son article 1er, la Constitution togolaise, même plusieurs fois toilettée, est restée ferme : « La République togolaise est un Etat de droit, LAÏC, démocratique et social… ». Plus loin, dans son article 72, la même Constitution, tout en reconnaissant que le « Président de la République est le Chef des Armées », précise qu’il ne peut « déclarer la guerre (que) sur autorisation de l’Assemblée nationale ».
 
Une guerre pas contre le terrorisme
 
Avant de participer à une déclaration de guerre, qui pis est en dehors du cadre onusien, Faure Gnassingbé avait l’obligation de susciter un débat national (comme cela se fait ailleurs), solliciter l’aval de l’Assemblée (où son parti détient la majorité) en sorte que les Togolais soient clairement au courant des tenants et aboutissants de cette véritable aventure à laquelle leur pays participe. Car nous sommes là, non dans une quelconque guerre contre le terrorisme (comme on tente de le présenter), mais bien dans une alliance islamiste arabe pour défendre le leadership de l’Arabie Saoudite et quelques alliés comme le Qatar, eux-mêmes accusés d’être les principaux exportateurs du terrorisme dans le monde. « Riyad est notamment accusé de financer la diffusion à travers le monde des préceptes wahhabites (ndlr : une communauté présente au Togo, particulièrement à Cinkassé), un courant de l’islam ultrarigoriste, dont le salafisme djihadiste est une excroissance violente », écrit lemonde.fr.
 
« L’Arabie saoudite, avec les autres pétro-monarchies du Golfe, compte parmi les régimes les plus répressifs de la planète, le wahhabisme saoudien étant la forme la plus intégriste au monde de l’islam… Et l’idée que Riyad lutterait contre le terrorisme ayant, voici à peine une semaine, convoqué une grande conférence de plusieurs groupes djihadistes syriens, dont des salafistes notoires, est absurde », se convainc l’historien et philosophe britannique John Laughland, Directeur des Etudes à l’Institut de la Démocratie et de la Coopération en France.
 
« Car au fond, ce que Riyad reproche à l’Etat islamique, ce n’est pas son terrorisme, dont d’ailleurs ses propres mandataires en Syrie sont tout aussi coupables. C’est le fait qu’il a rétabli le califat, aboli en 1924 par Mustafa Kemal, et proclamé son chef spirituel celui de tous les musulmans. La force d’attraction incontestable que ce geste a générée dans le monde musulman se manifeste dans les dizaines de milliers de jeunes gens qui se sont portés volontaires et qui se sont précipités pour faire la guerre en Syrie. C’est une force d’attraction dont les rois du Golfe sont fort jaloux. Riyad veut donc, avec son alliance contre le terrorisme, récupérer le terrain perdu tant face à la Russie qu’à l’Etat islamique et réaffirmer sa primauté au sein de l’Islam. C’est la raison pour laquelle son grand rival chiite, l’Iran, ainsi que ses alliés, l’Irak et la Syrie, en sont rigoureusement exclus », explique le chercheur britannique.
 
Les implications pour les Togolais
 
Jusqu’ici épargné par les attaques terroristes, le Togo s’expose davantage avec de pareilles participations à des aventures périlleuses sans enjeux réels pour lui. Quels intérêts le Togo a-t-il à participer à une coalition dont la dénomination l’exclue pourtant de facto? Le Togo n’est ni un pays islamique, ni arabe ni à forte dominance musulmane comme le Nigeria, le Sénégal, même la Côte d’Ivoire. Que cherchent les autorités togolaise en engageant le pays dans une telle alliance ? A priori rien d’intérêt national.
 
On sait que depuis quelques années, la diplomatie togolaises s’est prise de passion pour certaines destinations curieuses. Particulièrement sous Robert Dussey, ministre des Affaires étrangères le Togo s’est subitement rapproché de certains pays du Golfe, particulièrement les Emirats Arabe Unis où il séjourne régulièrement, selon les informations. Qu’est-ce qu’on peut bien aller chercher dans ces pays du Golfe, si ce n’est la seule et même chose qui attire (jusqu’aux joueurs de foot) dans ces pays : les fameux pétrodollars. Deux éventualités peuvent expliquer l’attitude du Togo : soit, liées par des anciens deals juteux, les autorités togolaises n’ont pas été capables de dire Non à l’invitation des Saoudiens à faire partir de cette coalition. Soit elles s’y sont invitées, dans l’espoir d’une suite favorable. Quoi qu’il en soit, il ne faudrait pas espérer une quelconque retombée majeure pour le pays. Si d’aventure l’Arabie Saoudite voudrait, à la suite de cette campagne, récompenser les pays africains, un pays comme le Togo se retrouverait parmi les derniers.
 
Au contraire, la participation à cette campagne expose énormément les Togolais déjà en proie au petit banditisme, sans secours. Les extrémistes, lorsque vous les affrontez, prennent le temps de vous analyser pour vous attaquer, en retour, avec des modes opératoires des plus traumatisants. Récemment, malgré que la veille le Mali ait dit avoir pris des mesures pour parer à toute attaque des terroristes, moins de heures, les mêmes terroristes ont pu réaliser leur carnage à l’Hôtel Radisson de Bamako.
 
Au Kénya, les Shebab ont été sans pitié contre le supermarché Westgate (68 morts) et les étudiants de l’Université de Garissa (147 morts)…En Egypte, Daesh (l’Etat islamique en arabe) a récemment signé l’explosion de l’avion russe. Aujourd’hui, plus personne n’est à l’abri. Les terroristes ont frappé à Paris, récidivé quelques mois plus tard et sèment la terreur au cœur des Etats-Unis. S’ils arrivent à réaliser avec autant de facilité leur coup sur des territoires aussi protégés que ceux des occidentaux, le Togo, incapable de mettre fin à une insécurité grandissante, ne saurait qu’être une proie facile.
 
Même les super-puissances mondiales, dans leurs représailles, y vont freins en main. En Irak et en Syrie, ils refusent jusqu’ici d’engager des troupes au sol et se contentent de frappes aériennes. Ce qui, selon les analystes, n’aura que des effets limités sur la nébuleuse. Et pourtant, ils hésitent à aller plus loin. L’Arabie Saoudite, le principal meneur de cette nouvelle alliance, s’entoure d’une muraille de plus 950 kilomètres qui sera dotée de tours de surveillance, de fossés, de caméras infrarouges et de radars (capables de détecter des mouvements à 18 kilomètres au sol et à 36 dans le ciel).
 
Ceux qui ont pris cette décision unilatérale de haute portée ne sont pas toujours les plus exposés. Leurs résidences sont relativement placées sous meilleure protection. L’accès à la résidence de la Caisse où ils vivent majoritairement sera par exemple bientôt soumis à la présentation de badge alors que la population, elle, est abandonnée à son triste sort. Les bénéficiaires de ce « business », puisque c’en est un, ne semblent pas se préoccuper outre mesure du risque qu’ils font peser sur leurs concitoyens, tant qu’eux-mêmes et leurs familles sont relativement à l’abri. Mais il faudra bien qu’un jour les autorités togolaises fixent un seuil à leur gloutonnerie qui commence par faire peser des risques énormes sur tout le pays. Et, les élus de tout bord sont interpellés et invités à interpeller à leur tour ceux qui prennent le plaisir de prendre des engagements périlleux au nom du peuple togolais. Pendant qu’il est encore temps.
 
source : Mensah K. (L’ALTERNATIVE)
 

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