Source : Sahel weather January 2025

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Will Togo join the Sahel Alliance? This question has been raised by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who suggested that Togo's membership of the Sahel Alliance "is not impossible". Right from the start of the crisis between ECOWAS and the 3 countries that are now members of the SSA - Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger - Togo positioned itself as a mediator, as these countries faced economic sanctions from the sub-regional organization following successive coups d'état. While some see Togo's desire to join the ESA, despite being a member of ECOWAS, as a geopolitical ambition, others see it as a political calculation linked to national challenges, for a country faced with jihadist incursions and a major constitutional revision that has exasperated divisions within the political players.

The constitutional reform that will enable the country to move from a presidential to a parliamentary system of government will come into effect definitively with the election of senators. Preparations for this election, scheduled for February, are progressing rapidly, with the Constitutional Court having published the final list of candidates. The election will take place a few days after the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the death of former President Gnassingbé Eyadema, and a few days after the recall to God of General Akawilou Sizing Walla, a friend of the late President and a key player in Togolese political life through the various positions he held. A seasoned politician and military man, Togo pays tribute to a man who knew how to evolve in the political and security spheres, at a time when the country was at a crossroads on both fronts.

Meanwhile, the Dynamique pour la majorité du peuple (DMP), a grouping of Togolese opposition political parties and civil society organizations, and the Alliance nationale pour le changement (ANC) had already announced their boycott of the senatorial election. Although the government rearranged the timetable for this election following a request from the Cadre Permanent de Concertation (CPC), asking for more time to allow political players to better prepare, this decision seems to have changed nothing for part of the political class and civil society, who have decided not to take part in this election, exacerbating the political divisions within the players. While the political scene is marked by divisions over the new Constitution and the ongoing electoral processes, the security situation seems to be brighter, with a clear decline in terrorist attacks, thanks to the vigilance of the defense and security forces and the efforts of the Togolese government.