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Togolese President's Brother Detained Over Alleged Coup Plot

By Scott Stearns
Dakar
15 April 2009

The brother of Togo's president has been detained in connection with an alleged plot to take power in a military coup.

Togo security forces arrested former defense minister Kpatcha Gnassingbe outside the American Embassy in Lome.

A statement posted on the Togolese government Web site says he was denied refuge at the embassy and authorities waiting outside detained him as he left the compound.

The government statement says an arrest warrant was issued for Kpatcha Gnassingbe following an investigation that found he is one of the principal organizers of a plot to take power while his brother was on a trip to China.

Togo's Chief Prosecutor Robert Bakai says President Faure Gnassingbe canceled that trip Sunday when the security services of a foreign country warned that an attack against him was imminent.

Bakai says security forces sought to question Kpatcha Gnassingbe about the coup plot Sunday. But when they arrived at his home, they were attacked by bodyguards and troops loyal to the former defense minister.

The chief prosecutor says the shoot-out that followed in the Lome suburbs was entirely unprovoked, and security forces called for reinforcements before forcing their way into the compound.

The prosecutor says five army officers and members of Kpatcha Gnassingbe's entourage were questioned following that raid, but the president's brother was not detained.

When security forces returned to his compound late Tuesday to arrest him, he was not at home. They stepped-up surveillance of foreign missions in Lome and picked him up early Wednesday outside the American Embassy.

Bakai says an investigation into the alleged coup plot continues.

Kpatcha Gnassingbe remains an influential member of the ruling Togolese People's Party and serves as a member of parliament for the northern Kara District. He was defense minister from 2005 until his brother sacked him in 2007.

President Faure Gnassingbe was elected in 2005 following the death of his father, the long-time Togolese leader Gnassingbe Eyadema. Election observers say the violent 2005 election was seriously flawed. The next presidential election is scheduled for 2010.