Togo passed a colonial life of 76 years under two European powers. The first part was of Germany. In an 1884 treaty signed at Togoville, Germany declared a protectorate over over a stretch of territory along the coast and gradually extended its control inland. This became the German colony Togoland in 1905. After the German defeat in WWI Togoland was split up between the British and the French under League of Nations mandate after World War I (1918) . After WWII, these mandates became UN trust Territories. The residents of British Togoland voted to jointhe Gold Coast as part of of the new independent nation of Ghana, and French Togoland became an autonomous republic within the French Union. They got their Independence in 1960 under Sylvanus Olympio who was assassinated in a military coup on Jan. 1963 by a group of soldiers under the direction of Sergent Etionno EyademaGnassinbe. Opposition leader Nicolus Grunitzky was appointed president by the Insurrection Committee headed by Emmnuel Bidjolle. But Gnassingbe overthrew Grunitzkty in a bloodless coup and assumed the Presidency, which he held from that day till his sudden death on feb,2005.
Gnassinbe died in 2005, after thirty eight years in power, the longest sitting dictator in Africa.His son Faure Gnassinbe was given the chair of the President by the military for a short period. Faure Gnassingbe under presure step down and called an election when he won two months later. In 2006, the govt. and six political parties signed an agreement for creation of a transitional govt. and Yawovi Agboyibo took office as prime minister. In 2007, parliamentary election were held prticipating the opposition parties after about 20 years and Komlan Mally became the President.
