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Emerging reports indicate that the Israel-Africa summit billed to take place October in Lome, Togo's capital has been postponed indefinitely following reported civil unrest in the country. The Spokesperson of Israel Foreign Ministry, Emmanuel Nahshon made the disclosure in a chat with Al Jazeera. He debunked the claim that the summit was suspended because of threat of boycott.


According to him "the decision was linked to the internal situation in Togo. The situation is seen to be unstable, and they [Togo's presidency] asked to postpone. It has nothing to do with pressure or threats of boycott. We didn't want to go and place an added burden on Togo."


Also, the organizers of the summit have since confirmed the development. The report quoted them as saying "In the near future, Israel will hold consultations in Africa, both on the bilateral level as well as in regional gatherings and fora on the continent, in order to guarantee the full success of the summit."


Togo has been enmeshed in deep political skirmishes in recent times. Since August, the country has continued to witness anti-government protest. Thousands of people have taken to the streets to demand the resignation of President Faure Gnassingbe.


Political watchers have described the protest as the biggest challenge to Faure Gnassingbe's family power since the death of his father who had ruled Togo for 38 years before he died in 2005.

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