Deaths as Togo team bus machine-gunned in Angola

By Duncan Mackay

January 8 – A bus carrying the Togo national team, including Manchester City’s £25 million striker Emmanuel Adebayor (pictured), has come under attack from gunfire in Angola, where they were preparing for the African Cup of Nations, which is due to open there on Sunday.

At least three Togo players suffered injuries and the bus driver was killed during the attack in Cabinda, it has been claimed.

A spokesman for Togo’s Sports Ministry said: ”The Angolan driver was killed on the spot.”

Reports from French radio suggested that the players injured were Serge Gakpe, who plays for Monaco, Serge Akakpo of Romanian club Vaslui and Kodjovi Obilale of French team Pontivy.

Togo and Nantes striker Thomas Dossevi told French radio station RMC: “I’m okay but several players are in a bad state.

“We are still at hospital.

“We were machine-gunned like dogs and had to remain hidden under our seats for around 20 minutes to avoid the bullets.”

Togo are scheduled to begin their campaign against Ghana on Monday.

Adebayor, 25, was not among the players injured.

A statement posted on Manchester City’s official website read: “Manchester City can confirm that striker Emmanuel Adebayor is uninjured after this afternoon’s attack on the Togo team bus in Angola.

“Club officials have spoken with Adebayor and though shaken by the terrible events, he is unharmed.”

Aston Villa’s midfielder Moustapha Salifou (pictured) was also on the bus.

Martin O’Neill, the Aston Villa manager, said: ”I am really shocked to hear about this.

“Obviously I am pleased and relieved to hear that Moustapha is okay and that he is not among the injured people.

“The club have been in contact with him and he has reassured us that he is okay but he is extremely shocked and upset, which he would be in these circumstances.”

The gun attack took place in a region of Angola where separatist group Liberation of Enclave of Cabindahas (FLEC) have waged a three-decade long war against the Government.

The armed wing of the FLEC claimed responsibility in a message cited by Portugal’s Lusa news agency and warned that there would be further attacks.

“This operation is only the start of a series of targeted actions that will continue in all the territory of Cabinda,” it said.

Dossevi said: “We had just crossed the border [from Congo-Brazzaville] five minutes before, we were surrounded by police buses, one in front of us another behind.

“Everything was fine and then there was a powerful burst of gunfire.

“Everyone threw themselves under the seats and tried to protect themselves but some couldn’t escape the bullets.

“It lasted a good 15 minutes, the police fired back but really, it was hard to handle and it still is now.

“I’m shocked.

“When we got off the bus we were asking ourselves why us and not others?

“We were asking ourselves what had happened, we were crying and thanking God.”

Midfielder Richmond Forson said the number of injuries could have been much worse had the gunmen not originally fired on the wrong bus.

“It was the bus carrying our baggage which was in front of us which they fired on the most,” he told Canal Plus.

“They thought we were in the bus in front.”

Winny Dogbatse, a senior Togo official, said: ”The response from the [police] escort meant the damage was limited and there are now nine injured people in hospital.”

Midfielder Alaixys Romao admits the players feared the worst and thinks Togo are now likely to pull out of the tournament.

“We’re not thinking yet of what could happen,” said the Grenoble player.

“But it’s true that no-one wants to play.

“We’re not capable of it.

“We’re thinking first of all about the health of our injured because there was a lot of blood on the ground.

“For the moment there is not much news because they have been taken to different hospitals.

“In cases like these we’re thinking of those near us, of those we love because that really could have been the end of us.”

Antonio Bento Bembe, the Angolan Minister in charge of affairs in Cabinda, an oil producing region that has in the past been targeted by FLEC, said: “This was an act of terrorism.”

But Bento Bembe denied it was work of FLEC rebels.

He said: ”FLEC no longer exists, the attack comes from certain individuals who want to cause problems for us.”

But the tournament will not be cancelled, claimed officials from the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

“Our great concern is for the players, but the championship goes ahead,” said Souleymane Habuba, spokesman for the CAF.

There are doubts as to why Togo had elected to travel by road rather than flying.

Habuba said: ”CAF’s regulations are clear: teams are required to fly rather than travel by bus.”

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