The President of Togo, Faure Gnassingbé, has announced the dismissal of the Minister of Defense and the Chief of the Army General Staff, without the reasons being disclosed, a decision that comes in the face of the increased jihadist threat in the north of the country.
The Togolese Presidency has indicated that the Minister Marguerite Essozimna Gnakdé, who held the post since October 2020, has been dismissed together with the Chief of Army Staff, Dadja Manganawé, as reported by the news portal Ici Lomé. Although no replacement for the minister has been announced for the moment, Manganawé will be replaced by Tassounti Djato, who will have Kokou Oyomé as his deputy.
Togo was relatively safe until recently from the jihadist violence that has devastated its northern neighbor, Burkina Faso, and other countries in the Sahel region for most of the last decade. The Sahel area in particular, and now increasingly that of the Gulf of Guinea, has become a priority for Al Qaeda and Islamic State affiliates operating in the region, which has seen a significant increase in attacks since 2015.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
