Development and Cooperation


	Contributions from the Column Monitor Peacekeeping: No reason to fear of civilian-military cooperation BMZ budget increases USA approves Indian three-in-one AIDS pill D+C author under pressure in Togo Genetic modifications: Uganda: in search of pest-resistent bananas Liberia: timber embargo lifted UN budget released German government assesses crisis-prevention policy Gender-related violence: Good governance includes protection for women A single roof for GTZ and KfW Poor countries lack tax revenues 8-9/2006		Togo: D+C author under pressure Joseph Müller Afanyagbe, the Togolese sports journalist who contributed to our June focus section (D+C/E+Z, 2006, p. 236f), has received threats following his critical reporting on the poor performance of Togo’s team in the football World Cup. Shortly before the tournament began, there was squabbling within the Togolese team, due in part to the national football association refusing to pay its players bonuses promised in the event of World Cup qualification. As a result, the players threatened to go strike. Their coach resigned, but then carried on until the team’s early elimination. Müller mentioned corruption in Togolese football in programmes for his station Sport FM and, in a live broadcast, stated that the team was playing for the people, not for the football association or the government. This caused an uproar in Togo’s capital Lomé, among both officials and Sport FM’s management. His live commentary on the game against South Korea was cut short at half time. Müller received anonymous phone calls shortly afterwards, threatening him and his family in Lomé. “It has obviously upset some people that I went into so much detail”, says Müller. “But I only did what a journalist has to do: I told the truth.” The organisation Reporters without Borders took up Müller’s case and made enquiries in Togo. The NGO gave the all-clear at the end of June, maintaining that while Müller’s reporting had indeed caused annoyance, there was no serious threat and the radio station was standing by its employee. Müller, however, assumes that a colleague at Sport FM had passed on his mobile number without any authorisation for doing so. Therefore, he said he did not want to go on working at the station, finding it hard to trust anyone there. “I will probably first open a coffee shop and then work as a freelance journalist on the side,” he said before returning home to Lomé from Frankfurt. (ell)