Western Togoland Rebellion

Western Togoland Rebellion

Western Togoland (purple) within Ghana
Date1 September 2020 – present[1]
Location
Status Ongoing
Belligerents

 Ghana

Western Togoland Restoration Front
Commanders and leaders
Nana Akufo-Addo
Dominic Nitiwul
Obed Akwa
William Azure Ayamdo
Togbe Yesu Kwabla Edudzi[1]
Akplaga Sogbolisa[1]
Akplaga Seyram Matts[2]
Strength
unknown c. 500–6,700
(WTRF claim)[1][2][3]
Casualties and losses
1 killed, 1 injured, 3+ captured 1+ killed
113+ captured
At least 6 civilians killed[4]

The Western Togoland Rebellion is an ongoing separatist revolt led by the Ewe nationalist organization Western Togoland Restoration Front (WTRF) against the government of Ghana. The group seeks the independence of former British Togoland.[5]

The Ewe make up most of the support for the independence movement and mainly inhabit the southern part of Western Togoland, especially around the cities of Ho, Kpandu, and Hohoe. Consequently, in the centre and northern areas of Western Togoland, where there is less of a presence of Ewes, support for independence is much more limited.[6]

The independence movement can be traced back to the colonial era, with Ewe-dominated organizations such as the Togoland Congress campaigning for the unification of the Ewe people in British Togoland and French Togoland. More recently, groups such as the Homeland Study Group Foundation, a member of Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, have advocated for Western Togoland independence. The WTRF is the first of these organizations to revolt against the Ghanaian government.[6]

  1. ^ a b c d "Ghana's Western Togoland region declares sovereignty | DW | 25.09.2020". Deutsche Welle.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :6 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Volta chiefs condemn separatist group; bemoan disrespect by political leaders". GhanaWeb. 2020-09-30. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
  5. ^ ISSAfrica.org (2020-11-06). "Are Africa's borders sacrosanct? Ghana's Western Togoland crisis". ISS Africa. Retrieved 2023-08-05.
  6. ^ a b "Western Togoland, Africa's (not so) new secessionist tension". Nationalia (in Catalan). 2023-06-08. Retrieved 2023-08-06.