The HCRRUN restores the building of the late Col. Tepe Koffi Afenyo to his rightful heirs

The High Commission for Reconciliation and National Unity (HCRRUN) proceeded with the restitution of the building of the late Col. Tepe Koffi Afenyo, former Deputy Chief of General Staff of the Togolese Armed Forces (FAT), to his rightful heirs. This took place during an official ceremony held on Thursday, August 29, 2024, at the institution’s headquarters in Lomé. Under the auspices of the HCRRUN President, Ms. Awa Nana-Daboya, this meeting was attended by several personalities, including heads of institutions and ministerial department officials.

Indeed, like other forms of reparations in transitional justice, restitution contributes to the recognition of the suffering and harm endured by victims and to the restoration of their dignity and that of their families. This aspect of restitution falls within the framework of Recommendation 34 of the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (CVJR), aiming to restore victims, as far as possible, to their situation prior to the violation, particularly in cases of material loss.

In her address, the HCRRUN President expressed her gratitude to the President of the Republic, Faure Gnassingbé, for his policy of openness. She honored the memory of all victims who suffered harm during the troubled times of socio-political violence. “After several years of practice, no one is unaware of the broad outlines, specificities, let alone the priorities of the transitional justice process, as desired by the populations and implemented in Togo. In our context, the HCRRUN has strived for over six years, in application of CVJR Recommendation No. 53, and in compliance with the choices made by the populations, to pay compensation to direct victims or their rightful heirs as a form of reparation. The family of the late Col. Tepe could not be an exception, so a study was conducted to identify the victims. Carried out using the database bequeathed by the CVJR, this study identified, in connection with the deposition concerning the late Col. Tepe… a total of 24 people, members or close relatives of the late Col. Tepe, were compensated,” stated Ms. Awa Nana-Daboya.

According to her, the restitution of this house of the late Col. Tepe to his family is a tangible and undeniable result stemming from the directives of the President of the Republic. “The HCRRUN wishes to congratulate Col. Tepe’s children for their courage and collaboration, thus becoming the primary architects of healing the moral wounds and material losses they endured for years. This frank collaboration attests that the children and the entire Tepe family believed in the process established by the national political class under the leadership of the President of the Republic, Faure Gnassingbé, for his works of peace, social cohesion, and living together,” emphasized the HCRRUN President.

For Ms. Tepe Akouvi Emilie, wife Gbikpi, spokesperson for the Tepe family, this act of restitution of their building is living and undeniable proof of a job well done, of commitment to the manifestation of truth, and of the HCRRUN’s sincerity. “Since the death of our dear father, who needs no introduction, the sky has darkened over us. No way out appeared on the horizon. Disoriented and without any support, we were like a rudderless ship, abandoned at sea and enduring the angry waves and foam. Around us, the mountains trembled, and beneath our feet, the earth… No one to share our pain, no one to read the bitterness, the sadness on the tablet of our hearts. For us, Madam President of the HCRRUN, Ladies and Gentlemen, all was lost. The requiem of our existence here below had been pronounced. But the Almighty, the God of the poor, of widows and orphans, had not said His last word,” she testified.

She expressed her full gratitude to the HCRRUN and, through it, to the Head of State and the government for the reconciliation work accomplished in Togo.

Furthermore, it is important to recall that it was thanks to the HCRRUN’s guidance that the study by Me André Sama, a bailiff, established and confirmed the illegal occupation of the building of the late Col. Tepe by individuals, who were dislodged following appropriate legal procedures.