[Archive 2010-01-08] Togo footballers ambushed in Angola

Historical archive — originally published 2010-01-08. This report records what was known on that date. It is not current news; subsequent events may have changed the situation. Wikinews closed in May 2026.

A bus carrying the football team of the African country of Togo was ambushed by gunmen earlier today, wounding at least two players, as it crossed the border into Angola. Some reports suggested that the driver was killed.

The attackers reportedly opened fire on the bus with machine guns as it was travelling though Cabinda. The Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda, a separatist group, soon claimed responsibility for the ambush.

Central defender Serge Akakpo and the back-up goalkeeper, Obilale Kossi, was hurt as well, according to Gabriel Ameyi, the Togo Football Federation vice-president.

The incident occurs two days before the start of the largest football competition in Africa, the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations. The contest's organisers said that Togo's team will still participate in the event despite the ambush; however, midfielder Alaixys Romao commented that his team might have to withdraw.

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