Implementation of the reparations programme / Strong mobilisation of the populations of the southern Maritime region at the HCRRUN information and exchange meeting

As the people of Aného can recall, it has been a very long time since a public event drew such a crowd at the City Hall this Wednesday, May 17, 2017. About a thousand people took their seats under the shelter set up for the occasion, some leaning on the fence to listen to the message of forgiveness and peace and to the explanations on the reparations programme that the President of the HCRRUN, Awa Nana Daboya, brought to them.

While welcoming the HCRRUN’s approach of going out to meet the people, the Prefect of Lakes, Têvi BENISSAN, called on the populations of the south-eastern Maritime region to make the winning bet of forgiveness in order to rid themselves of the ghosts of the dark and gloomy past. ’’ Reconciliation is necessary to build on serene foundations a common destiny and accelerate the process of our harmonious development,’’ said the Prefect.

The large crowd, which followed attentively the various presentations by the resource persons accompanying the President of the HCRRUN, did not hold back when it was given the floor. Some welcomed the HCRRUN’s approach of coming to see and meet them. ’’For me, the mere fact that the HCRRUN came to Aného and that we were able to express our grievances is enough for me. I am relieved ’’ said Mrs d’Almeida, whose son was a victim of political violence in the 1990s. 

Others urged the President of the HCRRUN to speed up the process for the victim compensation phase. For Mrs Amélé, whose son is a victim of the 2005 violence, ‘’it is urgent that the HCRRUN begin compensation because my grandchildren’s schooling is at stake. The task is becoming more and more difficult day by day.’’ 

Many speakers are convinced that Togolese can forgive and reconcile for the country’s development, echoing the message conveyed by the President of the HCRRUN, who thanked the populations of the city of Aného and its surroundings for their mobilisation and, above all, the attention paid to her message.