More than four months after being evacuated to Gabon for health reasons, Kpatcha Gnassingbé, the half-brother of the head of state, has returned to Lomé, as reported by local media.
Kpatcha Gnassingbé, former Minister of Defense and half-brother of the Togolese President, Faure Gnassingbé, is back in Lomé after spending over four months in Gabon for medical reasons. According to information from local sources, Kpatcha Gnassingbé has returned to his hospital room at the Sylvanus Olympio University Hospital (CHU S.O.).
His four-month stay in Gabon was surrounded by mystery, and little information was disclosed about the exact nature of his medical treatment at a military health center in Libreville.
Kpatcha Gnassingbé, a former Minister of Defense and half-brother of President Faure Gnassingbé, was arrested in 2009 on charges of an alleged plot against the Togolese government. Since then, he has been held in a prison in Lomé and faced a series of accusations, including an attempted assassination of his own brother.
In 2013, the Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) declared his detention as arbitrary. This opinion was echoed the following year by the UN working group on the matter.
Over the years, Kpatcha Gnassingbé has maintained his innocence and pursued several appeals to secure his release from detention. Despite his efforts, he remained in captivity for a considerable period.
The decision to allow him to travel to Gabon for medical care came after years of contention over the legality of his detention. Both the ECOWAS Court of Justice and the UN working group on the matter have criticized the conditions of his captivity and called for measures to ensure respect for his rights.
Kpatcha Gnassingbé’s return after his stay in Gabon will be closely monitored by the public and human rights defenders. Pressure remains high for fair and equitable measures to be taken regarding his fate and to avoid any violations of his rights.
As this situation develops, the international community will continue to closely follow the situation, hoping for a fair and respectful resolution for Kpatcha Gnassingbé, thereby putting an end to years of controversial detention and paving the way for fair and impartial justice.
