The United States is Waiting for a "Himself Told Himself" Investigation in Togo
The Mighty Spoiler is a Trinidadian musician who was known for his humorous and creative lyrics. His most famous song is titled "Magistrate Try Himself" which is a song that tells the story of a magistrate who is charged for speeding. That same magistrate tries his own case in court. In the refrain Spoiler sings "himself told himself" as he describes the back and forth conversation that the magistrate has with himself in the courtroom. The trial ends with the magistrate giving himself five years to pay a $20 fine.
As humorously absurd as the scenario in Spoiler's song is, it described the reality of what happens when people in power are free to abuse that power without any independent oversight. The phrase "himself told himself" has become very well-known in Trinidad, where the phrase is often used to describe situations in which officials are charged with regulating or investigating themselves.
As absurd as this song is, this is the situation that is happening in Togo right now. After the government decided to ban protests in Togo and then responded to the protests by sending the military to brutalize and kill the Togolese people, the international community now sits and waits for the government of Togo to investigate the killings. In a joint statement the United Nations, the European Union and the embassies of the United States, France and Germany all expressed regret over the violence in Togo and stated that they "await the results of the investigations announced by the government" following the violence.
The international community has dealt with the crisis in Togo so ineffectively that they are now waiting for the government of Togo to investigate itself. And what would happen if the government of Togo were to determine that it was in fact responsible for those who were killed during the protest? After all, this is the same government which organized religious ceremonies to cleanse Togo of its violent past. In Togo no one is ever held accountable for the abuse, torture, and murder of the Togolese citizens because the government is free to absolve itself of any wrongdoing whenever it pleases and the international community is willing to go along with this "himself told himself" approach to justice. It's embarrassing and it's also further reason for why the United States (and the rest of the world for that matter) needs to stop supporting the regime in Togo.