Faure Gnassingbé: Outsourcing repression to the Yatom family

The accusations against the Togolese regime go beyond mere technological suspicion; they paint a picture of a tangible system of covert operations. By allegedly entrusting a portion of the nation’s security and surveillance apparatus to the Yatom family, Faure Gnassingbé has crossed a significant line. Relying on former high-ranking Israeli intelligence officials to control the public sphere in Togo suggests a state-level paranoia reaching its peak.

This partnership with private foreign spy agencies serves no genuine national defense purpose. Instead, it follows a familiar pattern seen in embattled dynastic regimes willing to go to any length to track opponents, monitor civil society, and extend a rule that has lasted nearly six decades. Following the global Pegasus software scandal, this alleged collaboration with the Yatom clan indicates that Lomé has made spying on its own people an institutional practice. By placing Togo’s security fate in the hands of external private interests, the government tramples on national sovereignty purely for its own political survival.

Thomas Dietrich: The peril of performative scoops and digital noise

Yet, the gravity of a scandal demands an equally impeccable investigation. This is where Thomas Dietrich’s approach becomes vulnerable to criticism. By dropping names as significant as those from the Israeli security establishment, the journalist often opts for the language of social media confrontation and viral content over the rigorous standards of deep investigative work.

Broadcasting allegations of this magnitude on digital platforms without concurrently releasing a portfolio of material evidence—such as contracts, financial records, official charts, or leaked documents—diminishes the revelation’s impact. Known for his lone-wolf style and the constant dramatization of his conflicts with African governments, Dietrich often verges on ego-driven journalism. The immediate risk of this strategy is clear: by prioritizing sensationalism and personalizing the fight, the journalist hands the Lomé regime a perfect opportunity to dismiss the entire affair as a Western media plot and manipulation. In doing so, he inadvertently harms the cause of Togolese journalists and activists on the ground, who risk their lives to document the same abuses with quiet diligence.

Two sides of a sterile conflict

Ultimately, the presidential palace in Lomé and the expatriate reporter seem to be locked in a symbiotic relationship. Faure Gnassingbé leverages the direct attacks from foreign journalists to wave the red flag of external destabilization, thereby justifying a tightening of his security measures. Meanwhile, Thomas Dietrich finds in the hyper-connected authoritarian leader an ideal adversary to grow his audience and cultivate his image as a crusader for truth.

As this duel unfolds under the social media spotlight, the true victim remains in the shadows: the Togolese people. Monitored by foreign technology and denied healthy democratic discourse, citizens endure the harsh reality of a police state. The struggle for transparency and freedom in Togo cannot be advanced by the secret dealings of a paranoid government, nor by the virtual spectacle of emotional journalism. It requires cold, hard facts, irrefutable evidence, and a level of dignity that both central figures in this affair appear to have misplaced.