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We are all potential refugees, CWS/IRP delegate from Togo says
Vivi Akakpo
Photo: Vivi Akakpo, Photo by Carol Fouke-Mpoyo
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Every African is a potential refugee, Vivi Akakpo of Togo, a member of the Church World Service Immigration and Refugee Program (IRP) Committee, told participants at the program’s annual National Conference Feb. 1-4 in Arlington, Va.
"I am fine now," she said, "but if something happens in Togo and I have no one to go to, I could become a refugee."
Days later, her own country was thrown unexpectedly into crisis.
Ms. Akakpo is Coordinator of the All Africa Conference of Churches' Ministry with Uprooted People - West African Sub-Region, based in Lome, Togo. She is serving on the Church World Service Immigration and Refugee Program Committee in 2005-2008.
During the 2005 IRP National Conference, held jointly with Episcopal Migration Ministries, she was describing the plight of Africa's millions of uprooted people and the AACC’s ministry with them.
"In Africa, we can become refugees overnight," she said. "Conditions in our countries such as bad governance, insecurity, ethnic conflicts, greed and power may put us on the move."
No one could have predicted that within days her home country would be thrown into a constitutional crisis precipitated by the sudden, unexpected death of Togo’s President, Gnassingbe Eyadema, 69.
During National Conference, Ms. Akakpo led Thursday devotions, advocated on Capitol Hill for refugees, joined in working sessions and exchanged ideas over meals.
On Friday, Feb. 4, fellow conference participants wished her a safe flight home the following Monday. But then early Saturday, Feb. 5, President Gnassingbe died of a heart attack.
Togo's Constitution called for the Speaker of the Parliament to succeed the President pending elections within 60 days. Instead, the military installed Faure Gnassingbe, the late leader’s son, as President, and the Parliament amended the Constitution accordingly. Togo"s borders closed, flights were suspended, and Ms. Akakpo and her husband, who was traveling with her, were left wondering what that would mean for their flight. As it happened, Togo's borders reopened on Monday, Feb. 7, and the couple was able to catch one of the first flights into Lome.
Safely home, Ms. Akakpo reported by e-mail, "Our flight landed on Tuesday at 11:50 p.m. It took us some time to go through immigration, customs and luggage claim. There also were soldiers and barriers on the road from the airport to our house and we needed to stop every time to answer their questions. Some even wanted to look into our luggage! By the time we reached home it was Wednesday around 2 a.m."
Her experience serves as a reminder that, as Ms. Akakpo said at devotions, "The people we are trying to assist are just like you and me. They are not different at all. They also are God's children. They are as precious in the eyes of God as we are and the Lord honors them, and He really cares for them."
Within days of the President's death, demonstrators called a general strike and took to the streets of Lome to demand elections. Security forces shot and killed at least three protesters and wounded others.
The regional West African organization, the Economic Community of West African States, is pressing Mr. Gnassingbe to revert to the former Constitution and to relinquish power.
The morning she led devotions at the CWS/EMM National Conference, Vivi Akakpo noted that "fear not" appears 365 times in the Bible, once for every day of the year.
In Isaiah 43, God assures us that, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. Because you are precious in my sight."
"In our ministry with uprooted people, we will surely pass through water, rivers, fire and flame," Ms. Akakpo said. "They are not physical. They are the laws, regulations and policies that our countries are making to regulate resettlement and asylum seeking, and the difficulties that we find when doing our work. Remember that the Lord has promised to be with us and to see us through them successfully."
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