Is the Togolese army trustworthy and professional? It depends on the interviewee
In Togo, the army is a very influential political actor. In 1967, a military coup installed Eyadema Gnassingbé as president, and he held power until his death in 2005. Immediately after his death, Eyadema's son, Faure Gnassingbé, was declared president with the support of the army. He resigned under pressure from leaders in the sub-region but regained power after winning the April 2005 elections, deemed "free and transparent" by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS ) but which led to violent clashes suppressed by the Togolese army (Venkatachalam, 2017; Wong, 2017). The closeness of the military to the executive power has long been decried by opposition parties, who accuse the armed forces of having control not only of government authority but also of Togo's main financial institutions (IRIN, 2005 ). Amnesty International has criticized Togolese security forces for using excessive force against protesters, journalists, and members of the political opposition. Under Faure Gnassingbé, the army has been accused of being particularly aggressive towards media that show the slightest sign of political opposition (Amnesty International, 2017a). In several meetings over the years, the Togolese government has publicly expressed its commitment to reducing human rights abuses perpetrated by the security apparatus, but there is little evidence that efforts have actually been done, beyond the rhetoric (Amnesty International, 2017b). Given the controversial role of the army at the national level, what perception do Togolese citizens have of their army? The results of the most recent Afrobarometer survey reveal that just under half of Togolese trust the army, think it protects the country effectively, and say it acts professionally and responsibly. respect for citizens' rights – assessments all marked by major ethnic, regional, and socio-economic divides.
Confidence in the Togolese army
Four out of 10 Togolese (42%) say they trust the army "partially" or "a lot", while a majority (56%) trust them "just a little" or not at all. Although well below the average level of trust in the army (64%) across 34 African countries surveyed in 2016/2018, more Togolese trust the army than the president (37%), other elected leaders, to political parties, and to the courts. Trust in the military has remained constant since Afrobarometer's first survey in Togo in 2012.
Army performance and behavior
As with popular trust, Togolese perceptions of the skills and attitude of the army are mixed. Around half (48%) of respondents believe that the armed forces "often" or "always" protect the country from external and internal security threats, while 22% say they only do so "sometimes" and 13% claim that they "rarely" or "never" protect the country. Regarding the behavior of the army, less than three in 10 respondents (28%) say that the armed forces “often” or “always” work professionally and respect the rights of all citizens. Around one in four (23%) say they “sometimes” meet these standards, while 44% think they “rarely” or “never” meet them.
More general security perceptions
The low level of trust in the army may reflect more generalized perceptions and experiences of insecurity among ordinary Togolese, even though locally the police are probably more strongly associated with security and safety. A majority (58%) of Togolese say they fear acts of intimidation or political violence during election campaigns at least "a little", including 28% who say they fear it "a lot", marking an increase from 22% of 2014. The proportion of citizens who say they do not fear such acts of intimidation “at all” has decreased, from 47% in 2014 to 41%. When asked whether they had known and/or feared acts of violence in specific cases during the previous two years, around a quarter (23%) of respondents said they had experienced acts of violence during a public demonstration, whereas 26% claim to have feared (but not experienced) being victimized, and around half (47%) claim to have had no such fears. Somewhat smaller proportions say they have experienced violence at a political event (19%) or with people in their neighborhood or village (13%). Given that a substantial proportion of respondents say they fear acts of violence, especially during public demonstrations and political events, do Togolese consider their personal safety worse than in previous years? Just one-third (31%) say their personal safety from crime and violence is currently "worse" or "much worse" than "a few years ago", but a larger proportion say personal safety has improved (41%) or remained the same (26%). A majority (59%) of Togolese support the government's right to impose roadblocks and curfews when public safety is threatened. Around four in 10 (38%) say people should be able to move freely at all times, regardless of the security situation.
While Togolese have less confidence in their military than most other Africans, this lack of confidence is not uniform across the population. To a large extent, Togolese citizens' confidence in their army and assessments of its effectiveness and behavior depend on where respondents live, what ethnic group they belong to, and whether they are poor or rich. These results prompt government and military authorities to take steps to establish a truly professional force that is considered protective, helpful, and respectful of all citizens.
Authors of the article: David Jacobs and Thomas Isbell – see more: http://www.afrobarometer.org/fr/publications/ad282-how-trustworthy-and-professional-togos-military-depends-whom-you-ask