In the Council of Ministers on Thursday 27 October 2022, Damehame Yark, Minister of Security and Civil Protection, gave an update on the government’s assistance to victims of terrorist attacks in the Savannah region. 789 households are beneficiaries of this aid, whose instructions are given by President Faure Gnassingbé.

A total of 789 households representing 4,175 displaced persons are registered by the Togolese services. This follows the deterioration of the security situation due to terrorist attacks by armed extremist groups.

Among the displaced are also people from neighbouring countries who have taken refuge in Togolese territory to escape terrorist attacks.

Assistance with food and other essential items

Initially, the Togolese authorities mobilised to provide living and non-living support to 682 households, with the remaining 107 households having left the assembly sites at the time of the operation.

In the second phase of the support operation, 237 households that were still on site were again provided with food.

Psychological care and schooling of pupils also provided

Technical teams composed of psychologists and social workers have been deployed on the ground to provide psychological care to victims, said General Damehame Yark. Arrangements are also being made to ensure the care of displaced students, he added.

“Arrangements have been made for the enrolment of displaced pupils in schools in the host prefectures. In order to strengthen the infrastructure of these schools, classrooms are being built by the dedicated services. Specifically, nine orphans (5 girls and 4 boys) have been enrolled in excellent schools, in accordance with the very high instructions of His Excellency the President of the Republic.

At the end of the report on assistance to victims of terrorist attacks, the government took the opportunity to salute the resilience of the Togolese people to terrorist threats. He also reiterated his commitment to ensuring effective care for these displaced persons.