History of

It is believed that Togo was named after the small15th-century lakeside village of Togodo (now called Togoville). In the Ewe language, to means “waters” and godo means “other side.” Although little is known about Togo prior to the 15th century, the Kabyè and Lamba peoples were probably among the first to settle in the north between the 7th and12th centuries. Others arrived later, fleeing wars in (present-day ) and the Gold Coast ().

Tado, a village on the Mono River, had become a trading and cultural center for the Adja-Ewe ethnic groups. At the end of the 16th century, some of the Adja-Ewe left Tado for Atakpamé and Notsé. Then, in 1720, at odds with Notsé’s King Agokoli, they left for various locations in the south and eventually founded Alomé (now Lomé).

From 1884 to 1914, Togo was a German colony called . It was then partitioned between and Great Britain. Britain administered its smaller western portion as part of the Gold Coast. In a 1956 plebiscite, voted to unite with the Gold Coast, which became Ghana upon independence in 1957. gained independence in1960 as the Republic of Togo.

The first president of Togo, , was assassinated in 1963 by rebel army officers who installed and later ousted Olympio’s rival, . Etienne Eyadéma, a colonel involved in both coups, became president in 1967.Eyadéma later changed his first name to Gnassingbé and his rank to general. In 1990, violent street riots and mass civil disobedience forced him to convene a national conference to forma transitional government. Eyadéma retained the presidency, but the conference chose Joseph Kolou Koffigoh, a lawyer and human-rights activist, as prime minister.

Elections set for 1992 were postponed after political violence forced 300,000 Togolese to seek refuge in Benin and Ghana. A general strike organized by trade unions and the opposition paralyzed economic activity. Opposition leaders were often harassed; many went into exile. When presidential elections were finally held in 1993, Eyadéma ran virtually unopposed and easily won.

Eyadéma ran against several candidates in 1998 elections. Unfortunately, charges of fraud and voter intimidation, as well as the suspension of vote counting, cast doubt on the election’s fairness. Eyadéma declared victory. Supporters of his main challenger, (son of Sylvanus Olympio),rioted in the capital’s streets, and the head of the election commission resigned without publishing final vote tallies.

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Prior to 2003 presidential elections, Olympio, living in exile, was banned from running due to a law that requires candidates to maintain residency in the country. Eyadéma won reelection amid renewed charges of fraud.

After 38 years in power, Gnassingbé Eyadéma died in February2005. The military appointed his son Faure Gnassingbéas president. The move was condemned by other nations, forcing Gnassingbé to hold a presidential election in April 2005.When he emerged the winner, the opposition accused him of vote-rigging. Weeks of protests and street violence followed, but Togo’s Constitutional Court rejected the claims of fraud and declared Gnassingbé the legitimate victor.

References:

“Togo (Togolese Republic).” CultureGrams World Edition. 2008.

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