Togo national football team bus attack
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The Togo national football team attack was a
terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
attack that occurred on 8 January 2010 as the
Togo national football team The Togo national football team (French: Équipe nationale de football du Togo) represents Togo in international football and is controlled by the Togolese Football Federation. The national football team of Togo made their debut in the FIFA Worl ...
traveled through the
Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...
n
province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...
of Cabinda on the way to the
2010 Africa Cup of Nations The 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the Orange (telecommunications), Orange Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 27th Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial association football, football championship of Africa (Confederat ...
tournament, two days before it began in Angola. A little-known offshoot of the
Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda The Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda ( pt, Frente para a Libertação do Enclave de Cabinda, FLEC) is a guerrilla and political movement fighting for the independence of the Angolan province of Cabinda.AlʻAmin Mazrui, Ali. ...
(FLEC), a group promoting independence for the province of Cabinda, known as the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda – Military Position (FLEC-PM), claimed responsibility for the attack. Bus driver Mário Adjoua, the team's assistant manager
Améleté Abalo Pascal Amélété Abalo Dosseh (7 March 1962 – 9 January 2010) was the assistant coach of the Togo national football team and manager of ASKO Kara. Career Playing career Abalo began his career with Dyto Lome, Le Dynamic togolais. From 198 ...
, and media officer Stanislas Ocloo were killed, with several others injured. Secretary General of the FLEC-PM Rodrigues Mingas, currently
exile Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...
d in France, claimed the attack was not aimed at the Togolese players but at the Angolan forces at the head of the convoy. Authorities reported two
suspect In law enforcement jargon, a suspect is a known person accused or suspected of committing a crime. Police and reporters in the United States often use the word suspect as a jargon when referring to the perpetrator of the offense (perp in dated U ...
s were detained in connection with the attacks.


Attack

On 8 January 2010, the
Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...
national team bus was attacked by gunmen as it traveled through the Angolan province of Cabinda for the
Africa Cup of Nations The Africa Cup of Nations referred to as AFCON (french: Coupe d'Afrique des Nations, sometimes referred to as CAN, or TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons), and sometimes as African Cup of Nations, is the main internati ...
. The bus came under machine gun fire just after it had crossed the border from the
Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...
into the Angolan
exclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...
province of Cabinda. All of Togo's initial Group B games were to take place in the
Estádio Nacional do Chiazi The Estádio Nacional do Chiazi is a multi-use stadium in Cabinda, Angola. Completed in 2010, it is used mostly for football matches. The stadium hosted some events for the 2010 African Cup of Nations The 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, also kn ...
stadium in Cabinda. According to rebel leader Mingas, the attack was carried out by his ''Commander Sametonne'' who claimed 15 FLEC fighters participated in the ambush. The siege lasted for at least 30 minutes. The bus driver, Mário Adjoua, was killed, cutting off all possible means of escape. The passengers hid beneath the seats. A security team of around 10 men in two cars travelling with the team returned the attackers' fire.
FC Vaslui CS Sporting Juniorul Vaslui (), commonly known as Sporting Vaslui, Juniorul Vaslui or simply as Vaslui, is a Romanian professional football club based in Vaslui, Vaslui County, founded in 2002 and re-founded in 2014. The club is currently pla ...
defender
Serge Akakpo Serge Ognadon Akakpo (born 15 October 1987) is a Togolese footballer who played as a centre-back. Career Club Akakpo began his career with Auxerre after breaking through the youth academy, he made his first-team debut with Auxerre in July 200 ...
was badly wounded by bullets and lost blood, as was
goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...
Kodjovi Obilalé Kodjovi Dodji Akanava Obilalé (born 8 October 1984) is a Togolese former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. His last club was the French amateur club GSI Pontivy. His career was cut short after he was severely injured in a bus attack ag ...
. Alongside both players, Vice-President Gabriel Ameyi of the
Togolese Football Federation The Togolese Football Federation (french: Fédération Togolaise de Football) or FTF is the governing body of football in Togo. In 2006, the Togo national football team participated for first time in the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Staff * Presi ...
and seven members including a
journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...
and two team doctors were wounded.
Emmanuel Adebayor Sheyi Emmanuel Adebayor (; born 26 February 1984) is a Togolese professional footballer who plays as a striker for Togolese Championnat National club Semassi. He previously played for English clubs Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham Ho ...
said the attack was, "one of the worst things I've ever been through in my life." He had to carry his screaming teammates into the hospital as he was one of those least affected.
Thomas Dossevi Thomas Folivi Dossevi (born 6 March 1979) is a former professional footballer who played as a striker and winger. He is the manager of Boulogne's U19 squad. Born in France, he recorded 29 caps and two goals for the Togo national team from ...
said, "It was a real hell. Twenty minutes of shots, of blood and fear," and
Richmond Forson Richmond Forson (born 23 May 1980) is a former professional footballer who played as a left-back and spent his career in France. Born in Ghana, he grew up in Togo and represented the Togo national team internationally. Club career Forson was ...
said, "The bus carrying the luggage was riddled. Maybe they thought we were there. Then they opened fire, even against our coaches. It was terrible." Dossevi said the team was "machine-gunned, like dogs." The Angolan separatist guerrilla group
Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda The Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda ( pt, Frente para a Libertação do Enclave de Cabinda, FLEC) is a guerrilla and political movement fighting for the independence of the Angolan province of Cabinda.AlʻAmin Mazrui, Ali. ...
(FLEC) has claimed responsibility for the attack. A statement signed by FLEC's secretary general Rodrigues Mingas said, "This operation is just the start of a series of planned actions that will continue to take place in the whole territory of Cabinda."
French Foreign Ministry The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs () is the Ministry (government department), ministry of the Government of France that handles France's foreign relations. Since 1855, its headquarters have been located at 37 Quai d'Orsay, close to th ...
spokesperson, Bernard Valero said that "inciting violence is totally unacceptable" and Mingas could be prosecuted under French laws for making such statements. A larger offshoot group known as Armed Forces of Cabinda (FLEC-FAC) also claimed the responsibility. The leader of the group Jean-Claude N'Zita dismissed Mingas' faction as
opportunist Opportunism is the practice of taking advantage of circumstances – with little regard for principles or with what the consequences are for others. Opportunist actions are expedient actions guided primarily by self-interested motives. The term ...
.


Victims

Three people were killed and nine others injured. ;Dead *
Améleté Abalo Pascal Amélété Abalo Dosseh (7 March 1962 – 9 January 2010) was the assistant coach of the Togo national football team and manager of ASKO Kara. Career Playing career Abalo began his career with Dyto Lome, Le Dynamic togolais. From 198 ...
– Assistant coach of the Togo national football team and manager of
ASKO Kara ASKO Kara is a Togolese football club based in Kara. They play in the top division in Togolese football. History The manager Améleté Abalo was shot dead on 8 January 2010 in a terrorist attack against the Togo national football team. Achiev ...
(died on 9 January 2010) * Stanislas Ocloo (died on 9 January 2010) – TV sports commentator/journalist for
Togolese Television Télévision Togolaise is the national broadcaster of the West African state of Togo. Télévision Togolaise is headquartered in the capital city, Lomé Lomé is the capital and largest city of Togo. It has an urban population of 837,437
* Mário Adjoua –
Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...
n-born bus driver (died on 8 January 2010) ;Wounded *
Kodjovi Obilalé Kodjovi Dodji Akanava Obilalé (born 8 October 1984) is a Togolese former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. His last club was the French amateur club GSI Pontivy. His career was cut short after he was severely injured in a bus attack ag ...
– was shot in the lower back. The bullet split into several pieces making its way into his stomach. The goalkeeper's condition was reportedly stabilized on 11 January.
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
n doctors suggested leaving bullet fragments in his stomach since the operation to remove them would possibly cause more damage. *
Serge Akakpo Serge Ognadon Akakpo (born 15 October 1987) is a Togolese footballer who played as a centre-back. Career Club Akakpo began his career with Auxerre after breaking through the youth academy, he made his first-team debut with Auxerre in July 200 ...
* Hubert Velud—Manager * Waké Nibombé * Elista Kodjo Lano * Divinelae Amevor –
physiotherapist Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patien ...
* Tadafame Wadja – doctor


Investigation

In connection with the deadly attack on the Togolese national football team, the Angolan police arrested two suspects on 10 January 2010. As the national radio reported, citing the
prosecutor A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the Civil law (legal system), civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the ...
, the arrests were made in the Angolan enclave of Cabinda, located between the Republic of Congo and the
Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
in Central Africa. A total of 9 suspects were arrested. Angola arrested four men –
Monsignor Monsignor (; it, monsignore ) is an honorific form of address or title for certain male clergy members, usually members of the Roman Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" ca ...
Raul Tati, a
Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
and later
bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
, Francisco Luemba, a lawyer, Belchior Tati, an
economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this ...
and Jose Benjamin Fuca, a former police officer – who had documents about Flec and had travelled to
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
for meetings with exiled leaders. In August, they were jailed for FLEC-PM membership. A court in Cabinda found the four guilty of crimes against state security; although the judge did not say whether the four had direct links to the attack. Their prison sentences ranged from three to five years. On 11 January, two
FLEC The Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda ( pt, Frente para a Libertação do Enclave de Cabinda, FLEC) is a guerrilla and political movement fighting for the independence of the Angolan province of Cabinda.AlʻAmin Mazrui, Ali. ...
operatives were arrested near the site of the shooting. The trial was criticised by
human rights Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...
groups that accused the
government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
of using the attacks to justify a crackdown on critics. Martinho Nombo, a lawyer taking part in the court hearings, said the judge convicted them only because they had spoken or written about independence for Cabinda. "This is unconstitutional. A judge cannot jail someone for nothing. This will only worsen Angola's poor record on human rights and the whole peace process with FLEC. The supposed link was implied rather than stated. They were convicted on the basis of those documents."
Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...
also criticised the conviction calling the four "activists" and saying "This is clearly a lost opportunity to restore justice in Angola, and particularly in Cabinda."


Aftermath

The Togolese team called for a
boycott A boycott is an act of nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organization, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons. The purpose of a boycott is to inflict som ...
of the competition as a result of the attack.
Alaixys Romao Jacques-Alaixys Romao (born 18 January 1984), commonly known as Alaixys Romao, is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Super League Greece club Ionikos, for which he is captain. Born in France, he represents Togo at internat ...
and Thomas Dossevi spoke of their disgust and their lack of desire to compete following their experience. Togo's national football squad subsequently withdrew from the tournament. Togolese midfielder
Alaixys Romao Jacques-Alaixys Romao (born 18 January 1984), commonly known as Alaixys Romao, is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Super League Greece club Ionikos, for which he is captain. Born in France, he represents Togo at internat ...
said the team was also trying to persuade the other teams in their group to pull out of the competition. After seeing the aftermath of the attack, members of the Mozambique national team flying into Luanda asked for assurances of protection. Togo was due to play its first game of the tournament against
Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
, three days after the attack on 11 January 2010. STV Sport reported that Togo pulled out of the tournament a day later. Later there was something of a reversal as two of the Togolese players said they would play in the African Nations Cup in "memory of the dead."
Thomas Dossevi Thomas Folivi Dossevi (born 6 March 1979) is a former professional footballer who played as a striker and winger. He is the manager of Boulogne's U19 squad. Born in France, he recorded 29 caps and two goals for the Togo national team from ...
, one of the Togolese players, announced that Togo would compete "to show our national colours, our values and that we are men." The Togolese government, however, subsequently ordered the team to return home after all, on grounds of security. On 11 January 2010, Togo was officially disqualified from the Africa Cup upon their return to their homeland. The Togolese team had left on Sunday, two days after the attack on the team bus. "The team is disqualified, this group will consist of three teams", said a spokesman for the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF). According to Togo Sports Minister, Christophe Padumhokou Tchao, Togo's official request to re-join the tournament was denied despite the reasoning to mourn the fallen members of the team.


Reactions

Angolan government minister António Bento Bembe called it an "act of terrorism", and stepped up security at the tournament.
Martin O'Neill Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, (born 1 March 1952) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. Starting his career in Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playi ...
, manager of player
Moustapha Salifou Moustapha Salifou (born 1 June 1983) is a Togolese former professional footballer who plays mostly as a midfielder for German Bayernliga club Türkspor Augsburg. He has represented the Togo national team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He spent f ...
at
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
, expressed his shock on the club's website.
Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
and
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...
football clubs expressed concerns over the safety of their players. Players from other teams in Africa, such as
Benni McCarthy Benedict Saul "Benni" McCarthy (born 12 November 1977) is a South African coach and former footballer who is a first-team coach at Manchester United. He previously worked as head coach of South African Premier Division team AmaZulu. A former f ...
and
Momo Sissoko Mohamed Lamine Sissoko (born 22 January 1985) is a former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. Born in France, he could have elected to play for France internationally, but chose instead to play for the national side of ...
, condemned the attack. Togolese Prime Minister
Gilbert Houngbo Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo (born 4 February 1961) is a Togolese politician and diplomat who was Prime Minister of Togo from September 2008 to July 2012.
ordered a three-day period of national mourning. "The government has opted for a prolonged nationwide three days of mourning period, which will begin on Monday 11 January 2010," Houngbo said on state television.
Danny Jordaan Daniel Alexander "Danny" Jordaan (born 3 September 1951) is the president of the South African Football Association ( SAFA). He is a former lecturer, politician and anti-apartheid activist. He led South Africa's successful 2010 FIFA World Cup bid ...
, organiser of the
2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
which was played in
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
in June and July 2010, dismissed concerns that the attack had any relevance to the security arrangements for the World Cup. On 12 April, Togo captain
Emmanuel Adebayor Sheyi Emmanuel Adebayor (; born 26 February 1984) is a Togolese professional footballer who plays as a striker for Togolese Championnat National club Semassi. He previously played for English clubs Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham Ho ...
announced his retirement from international football, stating that he was "still haunted by the events I witnessed on that horrible afternoon." Adebeyor subsequently returned to international duty in November 2011 following assurances from the Togo Football Federation regarding safety, making his comeback in a 1–0 win over
Guinea-Bissau Guinea-Bissau ( ; pt, Guiné-Bissau; ff, italic=no, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫 𞤄𞤭𞤧𞤢𞥄𞤱𞤮, Gine-Bisaawo, script=Adlm; Mandinka: ''Gine-Bisawo''), officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau ( pt, República da Guiné-Bissau, links=no ) ...
in a 2014 World Cup qualifier.


See also

*
List of terrorist incidents, 2010 This is a timeline of incidents in 2010 that have been labelled, or investigated as possible cases of "terrorism" and are not believed to have been carried out by a government or its forces (see state terrorism and state-sponsored terrorism). Li ...
* 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka national cricket team *
Munich massacre The Munich massacre was a terrorist attack carried out during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, by eight members of the Palestinian people, Palestinian militant organization Black September Organization, Black September, who i ...


References


External links

{{Authority control 2010 Africa Cup of Nations 2010 crimes in Angola 2010 in African football 2010 in Angola 2010 in Togolese sport 2010 mass shootings in Africa 2010 murders in Africa 2010s murders in Angola 2010s trials Accidents and incidents involving sports teams Cabinda Province Football in Togo January 2010 crimes January 2010 events in Africa Murder in Angola Murder trials Politics and sports Terrorist incidents in Africa in 2010 Terrorist incidents in Angola Terrorist incidents on buses in Africa Trials in Angola A Togolese people murdered abroad