Togo’s Gnassingbe sworn in as new president

LOME - Faure Gnassingbe has been sworn in as Togo's new president, 10 days after a disputed presidential poll to choose his father's successor triggered riots in which some 100 people were killed.

The UN refugee agency UNHCR said people were still fleeing to neighbouring Ghana and Benin with numbers of refugees topping 20,000 on Wednesday, up from 18,500 on Tuesday.

"Before God and before the Togolese people ... I, Faure Gnassingbe, elected president of the republic, solemnly swear to respect and defend the constitution," Gnassingbe said in his formal inauguration ceremony in front of judges and diplomats.

The 39-year-old succeeds his father, Gnassingbe Eyadema, who ruled the tiny West African country for 38 years to become the continent's longest-serving leader before his death in February.

It was the second time this year that Gnassingbe has taken a formal oath of office - the first time was just days after his father's death on Feb. 5 when the army decided to name him president, saying they feared a dangerous political vacuum.

Gnassingbe eventually stepped down and called elections after violent street protests and international sanctions.

On Tuesday, Togo's constitutional court confirmed Gnassingbe as the winner of the April 24 election with just over 60 per cent of the vote, against 38 per cent for the opposition candidate, 74-year-old Emmanuel Akitani-Bob.

The release of provisional results by the electoral commission last week sparked days of street battles between opposition activists, who say their candidate was cheated of victory, and security forces. Western diplomats have given a death toll of around 100 for the violence.

UNHCR envoy Rafik Saidi told a news conference in Benin that 11,500 Togolese - nearly half of them children - were taking shelter in the Come and Lokossa camps there. The displaced included opposition and ruling party supporters, he said.

"There is a lot of mistrust between the refugees, even mistrust within the same community because each side has voted for their own candidate," he said.

Former colonial power France and regional body ECOWAS have broadly given the election a thumbs-up, while the United States said irregularities in voter registration and electoral card distribution raised serious doubts about the poll's outcome.

Fears had grown in recent days that the announcement of final poll results would spark fresh unrest, and the opposition has called for popular resistance.

However, the capital Lome - where security has been tight since the vote - was calm on Wednesday.

- REUTERS