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Germany is taking a renewed interest in Togo, a former colony. Post-independence ties cooled in the 1990s amid concern over Togolese authoritarian rule, but have improved. A German trade delegation visit is imminent.

When German lawmakers and business representatives visit Togo in the coming weeks, they may well encounter reminders of Germany's history as a European colonial power. Togo was a protectorate of the German Empire from 1884 to 1914 and surviving works of German architecture - such as the Governor's Palace in the capital Lome - testify to Berlin's rule over the West African territory more than a century ago.

Germany regarded Togo as a "model colony" mainly because the local population was a lucrative source of forced labor and tax revenue. But, strangely, there is little present-day criticism of the former German colonial masters in Lome.

Edem Attiogbe, director of the Goethe Institute in Lome, believes he knows why the positive image of the colonialists persists. "The German colonial era ended a long time ago and most of those who discuss such matters don't know much about it - apart from the positive prejudices," he said. The Germans were only in the country for 30 years and memories of their occupying presence will have faded during the French rule that followed it.

A new chapter in German-Togolese relations began when the African country gained independence in 1960. During late 1970s and 1980s, West Germany - this was before German unification in 1990 - cultivated close ties with Togo.

The friendship between Togo's autocratic President Gnassingbe Eyadema and the conservative Bavarian premier Franz Josef Strauss made Togo a cornerstone in German-Africa policy. Strauss, as the leader of one of West Germany's 11 federal states, enjoyed making forays into the foreign policy arena. An adviser to Strauss once referred to the former German colony as a "model for Africa."

But the luxurious state banquets and antelope hunts that accompanied the visits by the Bavarian leader to Togo stirred controversy in the 1980s. So, too, did his off-the-cuff remarks. "We blacks must stick together," he once said jokingly. Even in those days, the jest seemed jarringly out of place.

A new beginning?

In the early 90s, relations between Germany and Togo deteriorated. Even Eyadema's most loyal supporters in Germany began to keep their distance amid reports of serious human rights violations and the lack of democracy under his authoritarian rule.

German interest in the African country only began to reawaken after tentative economic and political reforms were introduced under President Faure Gnassingbe, who came to power in 2005. Germany resumed development aid to Togo in 2012 after a break of almost 20 years. German Development Minister Gerd Müller visited Togo at the beginning of this year. However, Germany's business sector is still hesistating. That's why the delegation about to travel to Togo has adopted the slogan "Printemps de Cooperation" or "Spring Cooperation."

The delegation wants to rejuvenate ties between Togo and Germany, a move that is being greeted enthusiastically by the West African nation. On a visit to Germany, Togo's foreign minister, Robert Dussey, said German investors were welcome in Togo. "You will not regret it," he said.

Interest in German language

The economic climate would appear favorable for greater German investment in Togo. The Togolese economy has expanded steadily over the last few years and is expected to post a growth figure of 4.9 percent in 2016, according to the World Bank.

Key infrastructure projects such as the expansion of the deep-sea port and the airport in Lome are progressing well, and several German companies have been able to successfully position themselves in the Togolese market.

Meanwhile, young Togolese are showing more interest in Germany and the German language than ever before, according to Edem Attiogbe, director of the Goethe Institute in Lome. "Over the years we've seen an increase in the number of students taking our courses," he said. Enrollments have now risen to 1600 a year. Many would like to study in Germany; others need a command of the German language so they can join family members already living in Germany.

Attiogbe sees the upcoming visit by the delegation of German lawmakers and business representatives as a great opportunity. "I believe it's a sign that we can look optimistically to the future," he said.

(DW)

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Elangwe Pauline

02.Apr.2016

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An anti-apartheid activist jailed alongside Nelson Mandela called on Jacob Zuma to step down, adding pressure on South Africa's president to quit after a court ruled he acted dishonestly over improper state spending at his private home.

Echoing similar calls from opposition parties, Ahmed Kathrada said in a letter published on Saturday that Zuma's resignation would give the country's government the chance to recover from "a crisis of confidence".

"In the face of such persistently widespread criticism, condemnation and demand, is it asking too much to express the hope that you will choose the correct way that is gaining momentum, to consider stepping down?" Kathrada asked in the letter, dated March 31.

Mandela and Kathrada were among eight African National Congress (ANC) activists sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted of trying to overthrow the apartheid government during the 1963-1964 Rivonia Trial.

South Africa's top court on Thursday held that Zuma had failed to uphold the constitution by ignoring instructions to pay back some of the $16 million in state funds spent on renovations at his sprawling residence at Nkandla.

In a televised address to the nation on Friday evening, 73-year-old Zuma apologised and said he would pay back some of the money, as ordered, and that he never knowingly or deliberately set out to violate the constitution.

He made no reference to calls for him to resign, led domestically by Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane and the Economic Freedom Fighters party led by Julius Malema.

The opposition also launched impeachment proceedings against Zuma but these are unlikely to be successful because of the ANC's strong majority in parliament.

The ANC's top leadership said it was united behind its leader, though the 86-year-old Kathrada's intervention may carry weight within the party, which has governed the country since apartheid ended in 1994.

The calls for Zuma to quit dominated local newspaper headlines and got high-profile play abroad.

"It is a shame that the ANC is allowing its moral and political authority to be so grievously eroded by Zuma, instead of bringing his corrupt presidency to an end," The New York Times wrote in an editorial on Friday.

The scandal is arguably the biggest yet to hit Zuma, who has fended off accusations of corruption, influence peddling and rape since before he took office in 2009.

Speaking on Talk Radio 702, Kathrada Foundation Director Neeshan Balton confirmed publication of the letter, which was ran on media websites www.timeslive.co.za and www.enca.com.

(Reuters)

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Elangwe Pauline

02.Apr.2016

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The French Navy has seized a huge consignment of weapons including hundreds of AK-47 assault rifles and anti-tank weapons from a dhow headed for Somalia. In a statement, the 31-nation Combined Maritime Forces Combined Task Force 150 (CTF-150) charged with conducting anti-piracy and counter-terrorism operations off the coast of Somalia said the seizure was made on 20 March near Socotra in the Northern Indian Ocean by the French Navy's FREMM frigate FS Provence.

"The dhow was spotted heading toward Somalia by FS Provence’s Caiman helicopter whilst it was undertaking routine surveillance in the Northern Indian Ocean. Subsequently, Provence boarded the dhow and determined that it was without nationality. Provence then undertook a search of the vessel, during which the weapons were discovered. " 

The haul included several hundred AK-47 assault rifles, machine guns and anti-tank weapons. As illicit weapons were deemed to be destined for Somalia, they were seized under the United Nations Security Council mandated arms embargo in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2244 of 2015," the force said.

The seizure came three weeks after the Royal Australian Navy discovered a haul of 1 989 AK-47 automatic assault rifles, 100 rocket-propelled grenade launchers, 49 PKM general purpose machineguns, 39 PKM spare barrels and twenty 60 mm mortar tubes from a small fishing vessel that was also headed to Somalia.

The stateless smuggling vessel was intercepted by Australian navy ship HMAS Darwin about 170 nautical miles off the coast of Oman. IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly notes that the seizure is the third in the last six months. It added that the latest consignment includes what appear to be North Korean Type 73 machine guns.

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Defenceweb

02.Apr.2016

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Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says an army led by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is fighting in Syria alongside Takfiri militants. "Today, the war against Erdogan and against Saudi Arabia is a war against terrorists. The Turkish army, which is not even Turkish, is Erdogan's army that is fighting today in Syria," Assad told Russia's RIA news agency. He said the Turkish president allows the terrorists "to move into Turkish territory, to carry out maneuvers with tanks."

The Syrian president added that Erdogan trades oil stolen by Daesh, adding that the Turkish troops "carry out artillery attacks against the Syrian army - when it moves close - in order to help the terrorists." Assad also pledged to thwart Erdogan’s plans in Syria and to respond to the Turkish aggression through defeating terrorists fighting in his country. "They are terrorists and when we attack these terrorists in Syria, this leads to Erdogan's direct defeat," he said. However, he stressed that the "Turkish people are not against Syria, are not hostile towards Syria." 

The Syrian leader also said that the relations between the two countries will be "good" if the Turkish president "does not interfere" in Syria’s affairs. He further said that Saudi Arabia and Turkey have "crossed all possible red lines" from the very beginning of the Syrian war. Assad also described the Saudi and Turkish support to terrorists and providing them with weapons as "aggression." "This concerns not only individuals, he finances them [terrorists] through Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and through Turkey itself, of course," Assad said.

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Presstv

31.Mar.2016

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French troops and UN peacekeepers in the Central African Republic (CAR) are facing “extremely troubling” allegations of abusing the local population. The United Nations said in a statement on Wednesday that a UN team has received accounts that French troops, known as the Sangaris, forced girls to engage in sexual acts with animals in return for a small amount of money.

“We’ve received reports of cases of bestiality involving French troops but we have not confirmed them at this point,” an unnamed UN official said. “The exact number and nature of these extremely troubling allegations are still being determined,” the statement added. 

According to the statement, the victims were abused between 2013 and 2015 in the Kemo Prefecture of the country. A UN team was sent to the area this week to interview victims and gather information on the latest wave of allegations hitting the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) force. The statement further said that UN troops from Burundi and Gabon will be confined to their bases during the probe.

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Presstv

31.Mar.2016

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The Federal Republic of Nigeria is among the buyers of South African defence industry products last year including Azerbaijan, Burundi and Kenya according to the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC) 2015 report, which noted that South Africa exported R2.7 billion worth of arms last year. The report was recently tabled in Parliament and includes sales to countries involved in conflict. 

Burundi, where president Pierre Nkurunziza recently extended his term by another five years and where civil war is raging, bought armoured combat vehicles valued at R44 million from South African suppliers. In addition to armoured combat vehicles worth just on R65 million, South Africa also sold R1.28 million worth of artillery, R9.7 million worth of bombs and ammunition valued at R31.8 million to Nigeria.

South Africa also supplied armoured combat vehicles to MINUSCA, the UN mission in the war-torn Central African Republic (CAR). In the Middle East the Iraqi government has been fighting Islamist rebels since the fall of Saddam Hussein in the early 2000s. This Middle Eastern country bought South African combat vehicles to the value of just over R160 million and missile launchers worth just on R44 million from South Africa defence industry companies last year.

Azerbaijan bought armoured combat vehicles worth R26.6 million, R16.1 million worth of “heavy weapons” as well as “warning equipment” worth R37.2 million. In 2014 South Africa exported arms worth R2.98 billion, compared to R3.2 billion the year before and R10.6 billion in 2012, according to the NCACC’s 2014 annual report.

In 2014, South Africa’s defence industry exported 326 armoured vehicles (mainly armoured personnel carriers) to nearly two dozen countries, as well as four mine detection vehicles to Iraq. The biggest buyers were Burkina Faso (31 vehicles), Guinea (32 vehicles), Niger (21 vehicles), Saudi Arabia (100 vehicles), Senegal (39 vehicles) and the United Arab Emirates (26). These vehicles sales amounted to more than R810 million in 2014.

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Defenceweb

31.Mar.2016

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