Western Togolanders have never resorted to violence
The Ghana government has tried to destroy the credibility of the Western Togoland Freedom fighters before the international community, by labelling them, terrorists. By doing so their intention is to cut off financial support for them. And since no Freedom fighting activity can take place without money, that is one way they plan to stop the Freedom Fighters and keep their unlawful and illegal occupation and exploitation of a nation that was at least 35 years older than they.
Western Togolanders have never resorted to violence in their attempts over the past 63 years to restore the stolen statehood of their nation. Each time it has been the Ghana governments that resorted to violence against them, starting with Kwame Nkrumah their first president.
The September 25, 2020, peaceful protests that Ghana under Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo turned into a violent confrontation did not make the Freedom Fighters terrorists. The breaking into two Police stations and seizing their weapons and vehicles was purely an exercise of self-defence which every normal person will do. What led to that? The Ghana government ordered its security forces to spray live bullets on UNARMED protesters. They killed one and wounded several. But the protesters managed to overpower them and seized their vehicle and weapons.
The rest of the Ghana security took to their heels. To prevent them from re-arming themselves to come back at them, they seized their weapons at both Stations. This unfortunate development could have been avoided by simply engaging the protesters in negotiation, as happened in the Kpong and Akrade roadblocks in the Asuogyaman district Western Togoland's Western Province.
So the macho actions of unprofessional security officers resulted in needless loss of lives and maiming of several others. The people who were simply exercising their inalienable and constitutional rights to publicly and collectively express their frustration over both local and international neglect of their rights to nationhood.
Nationhood that has been enshrined in the UN charter Article 75 of June 26, 1945, UN Trusteeship Agreement of 1946, UN Resolutions 944(X) of Dec 15, 1955, and 1044(XI) of Dec. 13, 1956.
Western Togoland Freedom Fighters had called on the governments of Ghana to sit down at the negotiation table for civilized and peaceful discussion of the restoration of their statehood but all fell on deaf ears. Such requests were made to the UN as well with similar responses.
The Ghana governments have been warned time and time again that the use of force to intimidate and silence Western Togolanders may only delay the attainment of their nationhood and cannot stop it. So they must engage the leaders. But they trusted in their weapons.
We, the leaders of Western Togoland Freedom Fighters believe that Ghana will not be able to turn the international community against us for the following reasons:
1. We are a peaceful people who have never used violence to achieve our goal. We declared Restoration of our statehood on September 1, 2020, without violence
2. Almost all countries in the world that have ever gained independence from their unwilling occupiers and oppressors STRUGGLED to achieve their goals. Some of these struggles, unfortunately, resulted in much destruction of lives and properties, often with the international communities looking on
3. Oppressive use of force against the Freedom Fighters and international community's support of the oppressor forces often results in reactive reprisal tactics of the oppressed including entering into alliances that work against everybody's interest.
A classic example is Boko Haram of Nigeria and others in the Middle East. So why wait for this to happen when you can bring the parties together for amicable resolution?
4. The Western Togoland issue is very well known to the United Nations(UN). Just study all the references quoted above and you will appreciate the gross injustice committed by Kwame Nkrumah against Western Togolanders with the support of his colonial master, Britain on the blind side of the UN.
5. One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. Ghanaians must answer the following questions for themselves:
1. Was Kwame Nkrumah with his CPP Party a Terrorist organization? Why did Nkrumah and others spend varying times in colonial jails after destroying lives and property? Are they now profiting from Nkrumah's terrorism?
2. Was Nelson Mandela with his African National Congress(ANC) terrorists?
To their oppressors, they were terrorists but those they were fighting to redeem and those who supported them they were FREEDOM FIGHTERS NEEDING ALL THE SUPPORT THEY REQUIRED TO ACCOMPLISH THEIR LIBERATION GOALS. *AND WESTERN TOGOLAND FREEDOM FIGHTERS ARE NO EXCEPTION*
We, therefore, call on the UN to exercise its legal and moral obligation to resolve the Western Togoland issue peacefully before it gets to uncontrollable levels.
We also call on the UN to stop Ghana from abusing the rights of Western Togolanders through arbitrary arrests, detentions without trial and torture. Ghana is not respecting the UN ANTI-TORTURE convention to which she is a signatory and must be called to order.
