While Lomé publicly presents itself as a crucial mediator within the sub-region, a much darker narrative is emerging from Western diplomatic circles. According to diplomatic sources and American intelligence reports, the administration led by Faure Gnassingbé is alleged to have orchestrated clandestine discussions between Captain Ibrahim Traoré and jihadist factions of the JNIM. The purported goal was to secure a fragile truce in Burkina Faso, achieved through a treacherous betrayal against Assimi Goïta’s Mali. By reportedly facilitating an alignment between terrorist groups and FLA rebels to undermine Bamako, the Togolese leader is playing a perilous game in the Sahel, fracturing the unity of the Alliance des États du Sahel (AES) for his own diplomatic survival.
For decades, the Gnassingbé dynasty in Togo has maintained its power by rendering itself indispensable. Faure, inheriting a five-decade-old autocratic system, understood that to divert attention from internal issues, he needed to become the indispensable “facilitator” of the Sahel. However, behind the amiable smiles exchanged at Lomé summits, intelligence agencies, including the CIA and French military intelligence, have for months been documenting a far more insidious clandestine diplomatic ballet. The assessment from these intelligence bodies is unequivocal: Togo is no longer merely engaging with coup leaders; it is reportedly acting as an intermediary between sovereign states and international blacklisted terrorist organizations.
The alleged pact: JNIM spares Ouagadougou to target Bamako
The investigation reveals that under the supposed patronage of Faure Gnassingbé, envoys from Ouagadougou and senior figures from the Groupe de soutien à l’islam et aux musulmans (JNIM) held multiple meetings. The arrangement was cynically straightforward: the JNIM would lessen its operational pressure on Burkinabè territory, enabling Captain Ibrahim Traoré to consolidate his domestic authority. In return, the JNIM would gain enhanced freedom of movement towards a primary objective: Mali.
This alleged agreement extends beyond a simple non-aggression pact. American intelligence suggests a more intricate and Machiavellian maneuver. Lomé is believed to have encouraged, or at the very least facilitated, a convergence of interests between the JNIM and the Front de Libération de l’Azawad (FLA) rebels. The objective of this unnatural alliance? To unseat Colonel Assimi Goïta in Bamako, who is perceived as either too unyielding or too aligned with external influences that disrupt Lomé’s strategic calculations.
AES betrayal: the turning point of april 25
The extent of this alleged scheme became unequivocally clear during the large-scale attacks on April 25. As Malian forces faced a brutal assault from a hybrid JNIM-FLA coalition, an unprecedented event confirmed the existence of these covert agreements. In a communiqué disseminated through their usual propaganda channels, the assailants explicitly instructed Burkina Faso and Niger not to intervene. The message was unambiguous: “This is an internal matter between us and Bamako.” Even more unsettling was the silence and inaction of Burkinabè and Nigerien troops on that day, which astonished military observers.
In accordance with the agreements allegedly brokered in Lomé, Ibrahim Traoré left his Malian “ally” isolated against the onslaught. This passivity was not a tactical oversight; it was the strict adherence to the non-interference protocol supposedly endorsed under Faure Gnassingbé’s guidance. The Alliance des États du Sahel, envisioned as an unwavering bloc of solidarity against terrorism, seemingly shattered on the altar of Togolese alleged perfidy.
Why does Faure Gnassingbé allegedly engage in this strategy?
Survival through engineered instability is the primary driver behind this strategy. By reportedly destabilizing neighboring states, Faure Gnassingbé ensures that no alternative model of transition succeeds too effectively, thereby preserving his own position as the sole interlocutor capable of “calming the situation” for international partners. Extortion via security threats also serves as a potent lever. By maintaining direct communication channels with the JNIM, Togo ostensibly safeguards its own northern borders, sacrificing Mali to prevent attacks from extending southwards towards Lomé. Finally, the weakening of Assimi Goïta remains a key priority. The Malian leader, through his uncompromising stance, casts a shadow over Togolese diplomacy. His downfall or debilitation would allegedly restore Faure Gnassingbé’s role as a pivotal regional figure, at the expense of broader African solidarity.
A “firefighter-arsonist” diplomacy with dire consequences
These alleged maneuvers by Faure Gnassingbé, which would be foolish if not so criminal, carry irreversible repercussions. The relationship between Captain Ibrahim Traoré and Colonel Assimi Goïta is now tainted by profound distrust. How can confidence be maintained when one allegedly negotiates with the assailants of the other? By acting in this manner, the Togolese regime has not merely weakened Mali; it has purportedly handed the JNIM a significant strategic triumph: the fragmentation of Sahelian armies. The terrorist group no longer needs to confront all adversaries simultaneously; it can simply forge localized pacts, allegedly validated by a compliant coastal state, to isolate its targets one by one.
The cost of autocracy
Togo, under the firm grip of Faure Gnassingbé, is increasingly isolating itself behind a facade of diplomatic maneuvering. By believing he can manipulate terrorist groups and ambitious young captains, the autocrat in Lomé has reportedly extinguished the hope for a coordinated regional response to terrorism. History may record that it was in Lomé where the dagger was sharpened to be plunged into Mali’s back. Western intelligence services now perceive the Togolese “mediator” for what he allegedly truly is: a destabilizing actor who, to retain his throne, is prepared to consign the Sahel to the flames of discord and jihadism. The potential fall of Assimi Goïta, should it occur, would bear the imprint of Lomé, but the ensuing chaos would spare no one, not even those who believed they could control it.
