The High Commission for Reconciliation and Strengthening of National Unity (HCRRUN) took delivery, on December 16, 2021, of a structure built in Barkoissi, in the prefecture of Oti, as part of the implementation of community and collective reparations.
This unifying infrastructure consists of a 92.8-metre-deep borehole, a 10-metre-high water tower equipped with a 5 m³ polytank powered by solar energy, and three public fountains installed at the Barkoissi market.
This project was initiated at the request of the population of this commune in the Oti 2 municipality and funded by the HCRRUN through the Special Compensation Fund made available to it by the Togolese State.
With a total cost of CFAF 14,300,000, the infrastructure was constructed by the Société Africaine des Entreprises de Construction (AEC-BTP).
In her address, Ms. Awa Nana-Daboya, President of the HCRRUN, after briefly recalling the tragic events that affected Barkoissi, offered valuable guidance to the population of the commune to ensure that such acts of violence are never repeated.
“This fountain is not merely a simple water point. It carries several meanings, some of which deserve our collective attention. First, it symbolizes a period of intense pain, suspicion, mistrust, tears, and mourning that must be left behind. Such a situation, whatever the circumstances, must never happen again, here or anywhere else in the Land of our Ancestors,” declared the President of the HCRRUN, before adding that “this fountain is also an exhortation to always prioritize dialogue as the appropriate means of resolving our disputes. Finally, it will constantly remind us that we must permanently banish violence from our behaviour, as violence has always proven to be the greatest source of hatred and division.”
Colonel Ouadja Gbandi, Prefect of Oti, in his welcoming address, commended the efforts of the HCRRUN in its pursuit of reconciliation and peaceful coexistence in the country and thanked the Head of State for initiating this programme. On this occasion, he expressed the wish that “this water fountain, which is being handed over today, will help soothe hearts and strengthen harmony and cohesion among the people of Barkoissi, thereby fulfilling the aspirations of the President of the Republic, whose primary concern has always been and remains the strengthening of unity among the Togolese people.”
The joy of the people of Barkoissi was expressed through the words of Ms. Ladani Yentroulengue, Mayor of the Commune of Oti 2. According to her, the people of Barkoissi, while not forgetting their painful past, have resolutely turned their gaze towards the future, a future marked by mutual forgiveness.
“We receive this reparation with the commitment to honour the memory of our sisters and brothers who lost their lives for reasons that were incomprehensible, and even absurd. Honouring their memory means, for the people of Barkoissi, never again resorting to violence in our daily interactions,” declared the Mayor.
Prime Minister of Togo at the time of the violent events in Barkoissi and a witness to those events, the current Special Advisor to the HCRRUN, Me Joseph Kokou Koffigoh, shared his testimony with the audience and, through his poetic words, reminded everyone of the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation.
In accordance with the CVJR reparation programme, Barkoissi is one of the localities identified as having been affected by politically motivated violence. It is in this context that, as part of the implementation of CVJR Recommendation No. 54 on community and collective reparations, the HCRRUN, in 2020, conducted consultations with the people of Barkoissi to identify a conciliatory infrastructure to be built in order to contribute to healing and reconciliation among the entire population of the locality.
