Kufuor returns from Eyadema's inauguration

President John Agyekum Kufuor arrived back home by air from Lome, Togo, after attending the inaugural ceremony of President Gnassingbe Eyadema, who was been re-elected for another five-term term.

President Kufuor, who went in his capacity as Chairman of ECOWAS, was accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, former Head of State of Nigeria, and Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Executive Secretary of ECOWAS.

Togo's Military-Backed Leader Sworn In

LOME, Togo - President Gnassingbe Eyadema, already Africa's longest-ruling leader, took the oath of office Friday for a term that would take him into his 41st year in power.

Eyadema, who took control directly four years after leading post-colonial Africa's first coup in 1963, won presidential elections earlier this month.

The EU and other leading Western organizations criticized the vote, saying Togo had failed to make any significant reforms and the elections were a show.

Elected leaders of Ghana, Senegal, Benin, Niger, Mali, Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau all attended Friday's inauguration.

Eyadema's rivals alleged fraud in the count. The top challenger went into hiding after the vote, fearing violence and arrest.

Worldwide, only Fidel Castro has been in power longer than Eyadema.