Community and collective reparation: Barkoissi opted for a water source
The High Commission for Reconciliation and Strengthening National Unity (HCRRUN) proceeded on December 16, 2021, to the reception of a structure built in Barkoissi in the prefecture of Oti as part of community and collective reparations.
This unifying structure consists of a 92.8 m deep borehole, a 10 m high water tower equipped with a 5 m3 polytank powered by solar energy, and three public fountains installed in the Barkoissi market.
This achievement stems from the will of the populations of this commune of Oti 2 and is funded by the HCRRUN through the special compensation fund made available to it by the Togolese State.
With a total cost of 14,300,000 F CFA, the structure was built by the company Société Africaine des Entreprises de Construction (AEC-BTP).
In her speech on the occasion, Mrs. Awa Nana-Daboya, President of the HCRRUN, after briefly recalling the unfortunate events that marked Barkoissi, gave useful advice to the populations of this commune so that these acts of violence are never repeated.
“This fountain is not just a simple water point. It carries several meanings, some aspects of which deserve our collective attention. First, it symbolizes a moment of intense pain, suspicion, mistrust, tears, and mourning to be erased. Such a moment, whatever the circumstances, must never happen again here or elsewhere on the Land of our Ancestors,” declared the President of the HCRRUN before adding that this fountain is also an exhortation to always prioritize the path of dialogue as the appropriate means of settling our disputes. Finally, it will constantly teach us that we must definitively banish from our behavior the violence which, at all times, has proven to be the greatest vector of hatred and division.”
Colonel Ouadja Gbandi, Prefect of Oti, in his welcome address, praised the efforts of the HCRRUN in its quest for reconciliation and peaceful coexistence in the country and thanked the Head of State for initiating this program. On this occasion, he expressed the wish “May this water fountain, which will be handed over today, help to soothe hearts and strengthen harmony and cohesion within the populations of Barkoissi, thus fulfilling the wishes of the President of the Republic, whose primary concern is and remains the strengthening of unity among Togolese.”
The joy of the populations of Barkoissi was expressed through the voice of Mrs. LADANI Yentroulengue, Mayor of the Commune of Oti 2. For her, the populations of Barkoissi, without forgetting their dark past, have resolutely turned their gaze towards the future, a future marked by reciprocal forgiveness. “We receive this reparation with the promise to honor the memory of our sisters and brothers who lost their lives for reasons that were incomprehensible, even absurd. Honoring their memory means, for the populations of Barkoissi, never again resorting to violence in our daily interactions,” declared the Mayor.
Prime Minister of Togo at the time of these acts of violence in Barkoissi and a witness to the facts, the current Special Advisor to the HCRRUN, Joseph Kokou Koffigoh, shared his testimony with the audience and reminded everyone, through his poetic phrases, of the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation.
In accordance with the CVJR reparation program, Barkoissi is one of the localities identified as victims of politically motivated violence. It is in this sense that, as part of the implementation of CVJR recommendation 54 relating to community and collective reparations, the HCRRUN proceeded during the year 2020 to listen to the populations of Barkoissi in order to identify the conciliatory structure to be built to appease the entire population of this locality.
