Western Togoland – My take on the enigma – A rejoinder
Western Togoland was not legally joined to Gold Coast/Ghana at the time of the latter's independence, hence Ghana has no legal official border to lose upon Western Togoland separation
I have read an opinion article written by Wg. Cdr. Kwesi Kekrebesi and published by Graphic Online on Wednesday May. 31, with the above caption.
While the writer’s summary analysis is ok, I totally disagree with his position that no country will agree to have its borders split in this 21st century. Iam surprised at the level of ignorance deliberate or otherwise in his assertion.
Has the writer forgotten Eritrea, South Sudan, the split of Yogoslavia, etc – When did these take place – 18th century? Yes there were bloodsheds. Of course hardly any independence struggle happens without bloodshed. Even Gold Coast independence struggle occasioned some bloodshed and imprisonments. It’s up to those who stole British/Western Togoland to decide how much blood they are willing to shed and property to lose before doing the right thing – returning the stolen property.
Western Togoland was not legally joined to Gold Coast/Ghana at the time of the latter’s independence, hence Ghana has no legal official border to lose upon Western Togoland separation. The Gold Coast border was well defined at it’s independence as per colonial Britain’s Allan Clarke’s telegram to the UN. It did not include Western/British Togoland.
Since the fraudulent plebiscite was meant for a POLITICAL UNION, the UN after the plebiscite mandated the Administering Authority (Britain) of its Trust Territory through its resolution 1044(XI) of 13 December 1956, to EFFECT THE UNION. This meant first effecting the independence granted UNANIMOUSLY by the UN to make both nations legally eligible to enter a political UNION as INDEPENDENT STATES. While Britain deliberately FAILED to do both…effecting the independence of Western/British Togoland and establishing the UNION between it and Gold Coast/Ghana, it DECEIVED the UN that it had complied with its resolution mandate through a telegram by Allan Clarke to the UN Secretary-General on.March 6, 1957. And by this FALSE report and without exercising any due diligence of verification, the UN cancelled its Trusteeship Agreement with Britain, leaving Western/British Togoland an unprotected orphan State.This made room for Nkrumah with British collaboration, to use military force to force the new orphan UN Territory of Western/British Togoland, into Gold Coast/Ghana. Many were massacred, and many more exiled, with many dying in exile. It’s a pain Western Togolanders will never forget, in addition to their perpetual underdevelopment within the Ghana they had been forced into.
So the struggle for separation from Ghana continues unabated. And if we reached a point of failed persuasion, by world historical precedence, the inevitable will follow….FORCE. And with that loss of human lives and property and refugee crises. It could be yours or mine and/or families. The choice lies with the illegal occupiers.
By Bobby Quaqoo,
Freelance Journalist
Contact: [email protected]
