While Lomé publicly presents itself as a key mediator in the West African sub-region, a far more unsettling truth is reportedly emerging from Western diplomatic circles. According to diplomatic sources and American intelligence reports, the administration led by Faure Gnassingbé is accused of orchestrating covert negotiations between Captain Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina Faso and the jihadist group JNIM (Groupe de soutien à l’islam et aux musulmans). The alleged objective? To secure a fragile peace in Burkina Faso at the devastating cost of a bloody betrayal against Mali, under the leadership of Colonel Assimi Goïta. By purportedly facilitating an alliance between these terrorist entities and the FLA (Front de Libération de l’Azawad) rebels to destabilize Bamako, the Togolese leader is said to be playing a perilous game in the Sahel, potentially fracturing the unity of the Alliance des États du Sahel (AES) for his own diplomatic survival and political interests.

For many decades, the Gnassingbé dynasty in Togo has maintained its power by rendering itself indispensable. Faure, inheriting an autocratic system spanning half a century, reportedly understood that to divert attention from domestic issues, he needed to become an essential ‘facilitator’ in the Sahel. However, behind the public smiles at Lomé summits, intelligence agencies, including the CIA and French military intelligence, have reportedly been documenting a far more insidious and clandestine diplomatic ballet over several months.

The assessment from these intelligence bodies is unequivocal: Togo is allegedly doing more than just engaging with coup leaders; it is reportedly serving as an intermediary between sovereign states and international blacklisted terrorist organizations.

The alleged agreement: JNIM spares Ouagadougou to target Bamako

The investigation purportedly reveals that under the purported guidance of Faure Gnassingbé, emissaries from Ouagadougou and key figures from the JNIM held multiple meetings. The alleged deal is said to be cynically straightforward: the JNIM would reduce its operational pressure on Burkinabè territory, thereby allowing Captain Ibrahim Traoré to consolidate his internal authority. In return, the JNIM would gain increased freedom of movement towards a primary target: Mali.

This alleged agreement reportedly extends beyond a mere non-aggression pact. American intelligence sources suggest a more intricate and machiavellian maneuver. Lomé is accused of having encouraged, or at the very least facilitated, a convergence of interests between the JNIM and the FLA rebels. The purported goal of this unnatural alliance? To bring down Colonel Assimi Goïta in Bamako, who is reportedly perceived as either too unyielding or too aligned with other influences that complicate Lomé’s strategic calculations.

The AES betrayal: the turning point of April 25

The true nature of these alleged dealings reportedly became starkly evident during the major attacks on April 25. As Malian forces were fiercely engaged by a hybrid JNIM-FLA coalition, an unprecedented event seemingly confirmed the existence of these secret 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 a matter between us and Bamako. » Even more disturbing, the silence and inaction of Burkinabè and Nigerien troops on that day reportedly astonished military observers.

In accordance with the agreements allegedly negotiated in Lomé, Ibrahim Traoré reportedly left his Malian « ally » isolated in the face of grave danger. This reported passivity was not a tactical oversight; it was, as alleged, the strict application of a non-interference protocol signed under the purported auspices of Faure Gnassingbé. The Alliance des États du Sahel, envisioned as an unwavering bloc of solidarity against terrorism, allegedly fractured on the altar of Togolese betrayal.

Why is Faure Gnassingbé allegedly playing this game?

Survival through engineered chaos is reportedly the primary driver of this alleged strategy. By purportedly destabilizing his neighbors, Faure Gnassingbé ensures that no alternative model of transition achieves too much success, while simultaneously positioning himself as the sole interlocutor capable of ‘calming the situation’ with foreign partners.

Security blackmail is also a powerful lever. By reportedly maintaining a direct line to the JNIM, Togo ostensibly protects its own northern borders, sacrificing Mali to prevent attacks from descending towards Lomé.

Finally, the weakening of Assimi Goïta remains a priority. The Malian leader, through his perceived intransigence, allegedly overshadows Togolese diplomacy. His downfall or weakening would purportedly restore Faure Gnassingbé’s role as a regional pivot, often at the expense of broader African solidarity.

A ‘firefighter-arsonist’ diplomacy with disastrous consequences

The maneuvers, which could be deemed foolish if they weren’t so allegedly criminal, attributed to Faure Gnassingbé are reportedly having irreversible consequences. The relationship between Captain Ibrahim Traoré and Colonel Assimi Goïta is now said to be poisoned by deep suspicion. How can trust be maintained when one allegedly negotiates with the purported adversaries of the other?

By allegedly acting in this manner, the Togolese regime has not only weakened Mali; it has purportedly handed the JNIM a major strategic victory: the disunity of Sahelian armies. The terrorist group no longer needs to confront everyone simultaneously; it can reportedly sign localized pacts, allegedly validated by a compliant coastal state, to isolate its targets one by one.

The price of autocracy

Togo, under the firm grip of Faure Gnassingbé, is reportedly becoming increasingly isolated behind a smokescreen of diplomatic rhetoric. In allegedly attempting to manipulate terrorist groups and ambitious young captains, the autocrat in Lomé has reportedly destroyed the hope for a coordinated regional response to terrorism in the sub-region.

History may record that it was in Lomé where the dagger was sharpened to be plunged into Mali’s back. Western intelligence services are now reportedly viewing the Togolese ‘mediator’ for what he truly is: an alleged destabilizing actor who, to maintain his throne, is purportedly willing to deliver the Sahel to the flames of discord and jihadism. The potential fall of Assimi Goïta, should it occur, would bear the alleged signature of Lomé, but the ensuing chaos would spare no one, not even those who believed they could control it.