CONTRIBUTION TO THE NATIONAL RECONCILIATION PROCESS / YOUTH DEPLORE THE SLOWNESS BUT REMAIN COMMITTED

The High Commissioner for Reconciliation and Strengthening National Unity (HCRRUN) concluded its series of workshops with state and non-state actors regarding their contribution to the implementation of its mission on Friday, December 16, 2016, with discussions involving youth organizations and associations. Coming from all sectors of the country, the young participants, after learning about HCRRUN’s mission, the concepts of reparations, reconciliation, and national unity, as well as HCRRUN’s expectations of them, expressed their desire to be actors and builders of tomorrow’s Togo. They deplored the slowness of the process and urged HCRRUN to move faster in implementing its mission to allow them to look toward their future with serenity. They expressed their willingness and availability to support the Institution in its mission.

Several concerns were raised, notably the restoration of Togo’s true history, the truth regarding the circumstances of the deaths of former Togolese Presidents Sylvanus Olympio and Gnassingbé Eyadema, as well as the repatriation of the remains of the first president of independent Togo.

During the committee sessions, several recommendations were formulated, including the intensification of awareness-raising among grassroots populations, the rapid commencement of reparations, the creation of local HCRRUN branches, and the establishment of a youth platform for reconciliation, among others.