Posted by By Dino Mahtani - World - Reuters on
Togo turned away a plane carrying Nigerian peacemakers Thursday night, drawing threats of sanctions and accusations from Nigeria that it was blocking efforts to resolve a crisis widely condemned as a military coup.
ABUJA (Reuters) - Togo turned away a plane carrying Nigerian peacemakers Thursday night, drawing threats of sanctions and accusations from Nigeria that it was blocking efforts to resolve a crisis widely condemned as a military coup.
The Nigerian delegation had headed to Togo as part of a five-nation team from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) which has slammed the army's nomination of Faure Gnassingbe as Togo's president.
Gnassingbe was named to the post Saturday just hours after the death of his father Gnassingbe Eyadema, Africa's longest serving leader. The move violated the constitution, which was later amended.
"The authorities in Togo are frustrating efforts by ECOWAS to resolve the crisis in the country," said Remi Oyo, spokeswoman to Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was not with the delegation to Togo.
"On Thursday evening the plane carrying the advance team of President Obasanjo was refused landing in Lome," she added, calling the action "unfriendly and hostile."
Togo said the incident was a misunderstanding, arising out of the fact that the ECOWAS meeting had been moved to the northern city of Kara from the coastal capital Lome.
Togo's Interior Minister Francois Boko said Togolese authorities had asked the Nigerians to wait before taking off as the meeting had been moved. He said the Nigerians took off anyway, headed to Lome, and were then not allowed to land.
There was no immediate official reaction from Togo to the Nigerian threat of sanctions.
Oyo said Nigeria has recalled its ambassador to Togo and that Obasanjo -- who is chairman of the African Union -- would now not be joining the ECOWAS mission to Togo.
The incident ratcheted up pressure on Togo's new authorities after fierce criticism from former colonial ruler France, African leaders and the United Nations (news - web sites) -- all of whom have denounced the transfer of power and demanded presidential polls.
The appointment of Gnassingbe flouted a constitutional rule that the head of the national assembly should take over in the event of the president's death, pending the holding of presidential elections within 60 days.
In a bid to hush foreign criticism, Togo's parliament changed the law to retroactively legitimise Gnassingbe's nomination, clearing the way for him to rule until 2008.
At an emergency summit Wednesday, ECOWAS leaders urged the nation to respect the previous constitution and threatened sanctions unless Togo complied.
"The latest action by Togo authorities might therefore compel the commencement of sanctions," Oyo said.
Niger's President Tandja Mamadou, who chairs ECOWAS, left for Togo Friday morning, officials said. The presidents of Benin, Mali and Ghana were also due to take part in the mediation mission.
It was not immediately clear why Togo's authorities had decided to hold Friday's meeting in Kara, Eyadema's stronghold, 265 miles north of the capital Lome.
Protests were planned in Lome for Friday, including a sit-in by a generally pro-government party which objects to the way power was transferred to Gnassingbe.
Opposition parties have also called for a peaceful march in Lome Saturday -- despite a ban on all public demonstrations during the two-month official mourning period for Eyadema.
(Additional reporting by John Zodzi in Lome)