A week after the decision taken by Ghana to refer the matter to international bodies to decide the dispute concerning the layout of its maritime border with Togo, Lomé responded to Accra on Friday, February 27. In turn, the Togolese authorities said they were ready to go before international courts to defend their interests.
The issue of the maritime border between Ghana and Togo will soon be brought before international bodies. While after eight years of negotiations without progress, Accra announced on February 20 its intention to refer the matter to the International Court of the Law of the Sea, Lomé reacted on Friday, February 27 by « takening an act » of this decision and saying he was ready to « defend his interests in serenity and respect for international law« .
“The Togolese government remains deeply committed to territorial integrity and international principles. The Togolese Republic has always favored dialogue in a spirit of regional stability. The Togolese authorities will approach this procedure with responsibility, serenity and a spirit of openness, « said the Togolese Minister of Territorial Administration, Awaté Hodabalo, to the press, who also conceded that Ghana’s approach was « legitimate« .
Eight years of unsuccessful negotiations
More than 50 years old, the dispute between the two countries over their maritime border is a legacy of the colonial period. If a committee had been created in 2018 to try to settle it following the Togo protest, the various meetings that took place in Lomé and Accra on the subject ended in failure, as did the proposal made by Ghana in 2021 to set up a temporary border when the country was already operating an oil block in the disputed area.
The United Nations, for its part, had proposed a technical demarcation based on precise geometric calculations, but Togo refused it, considering itself disadvantaged by this route. The border thus proposed would « reduce [the] maritime potential » of the country, said the Togolese chief negotiator, Noupokou Damipi. For both countries, the delimitation of this border involves major economic issues since it delimits the area of exploitation of their natural resources.
The arbitration will therefore be under the guise of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
source : RFI
