Bandits attack; African President fires the Army Chief and Minister

As part of a significant military reorganization revealed on state television, Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe has replaced the country’s chief of staff and fired the minister in charge of the armed forces.

The presidential directives, which were made public late on Thursday, did not give any explanations for the revisions, but they were made as the small West African nation faced an increasing danger from terrorist organizations.

At least five attacks have occurred in Togo since November 2021, including two fatal ones in the country’s extreme north, which is frequently attacked by Islamist infiltrations from Burkina Faso on the other side of the border.

The first presidential proclamation said that Marguerite Essossimna Gnakade is freed of her duties as the minister of the armed forces since she has been “called to other duties.”

No successor will be appointed because, as was the case from 2007 to 2020, Gnassingbe will oversee the military forces, who will be subject to his orders.

General Dadja Maganawe, who has held the position since late 2020, is replaced by Colonel Tassounti Djato, a former Air Force chief of staff who has been elevated to general and “made chief of general staff of the Togolese Armed Forces”.

Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger are West African countries that are afflicted by jihadist insurgencies, and nearby coastal republics like Benin, Ghana, Togo, and Ivory Coast have long been worried about the violence spreading into their borders.

The army claimed that in mid-July, “unidentified armed persons” attacked Togo, leaving “many dead and a few wounded.”

According to local media, anywhere from 15 to 20 individuals died.

Local media claimed a deadly attack on armed personnel last month in the far north, but AFP was unable to confirm the claims. The government declined to comment on the situation.