Ghana’s Western Togoland region declares sovereignty

Social media sharing

By Maxwell Suuk, Cai Nebe, Delali Sakpa

An area of eastern Ghana has declared itself a sovereign state. The region known as Western Togoland has had secessionist attempts in the past.

Armed men demanding the secession of Western Togoland from Ghana blockaded major entry points to the Volta region of Ghana on Friday morning.

Local sources say the group are holding three police officers hostage, including a District Commander, and attacked two police stations. Prior to the blockade, the group reportedly broke into an armory and stole weapons.

Karte Western Togoland EN
Western Togoland is located in eastern Ghana, on the Togolese border

“This is a very serious situation because just few weeks ago we saw [what happened] when they mounted signs along the major roads welcoming people into the Western Togoland State,” a local resident told DW. “Blocking the roads with heaps of sand, burning tyres [and ] even holding security personnel hostage.”

About 12 hours before Friday’s dawn operation, the Western Togoland Restoration Front (WTRF) published photos of the graduation ceremony for around 500 personnel who underwent training for months in secret locations, raising questions over the effectiveness of security agencies in the region.

Seeking sovereignty

Ghana’s Western Togoland region is predominately wedged between Lake Volta and the Ghana-Togo border. Currently, a number of splinter groups are demanding the area be recognized as a sovereign state.

In a press release, the chairman of the WTRF, Togbe Yesu Kwabla Edudzi I, declared that efforts for consolidating statehoood, which began on 1 September 2020, were being put into practice.

Ghana Volta Region
Protestors gather for a demonstration demanding sovereignty of Western Togoland

The press release also claimed “roadblocks to assert its sovereignty are all over the Southern sector.”

The movement says it wants to force the Ghanaian government to join United Nations (UN) facilitated negotiations aiming to declare Western Togoland an independent state.

Ghana Volta Region
Makeshift signs have appeared marking the Western Togoland border in Ghana’s Volta region

Ghanaian police have been ordered to “leave the region in 24 hours” and surrender weapons. Some radio stations appear to have been taken over by members of the WTRF. The group has demanded the release of prisoners currently being held in detention for secessionist activities.





Travelers urged to be cautious

Meanwhile, on Facebook, Ghanaian police have cautioned travellers to be aware of “security operations” in some communities in the Volta Region.

Local media have reported the minister of the affected Volta Region, Archibald Letsa, urged travelers to remain calm and allow security personnel to do their jobs.

A tumultuous past

The territory of Western Togoland was first colonized by Germany in 1884 and incorporated into the Togoland colony. After Germany’s defeat during the First World War, the colony of Togoland was divided between France and Britain as protectorates. The western part of Togoland became part of Britain’s Gold Coast colony, which became independent in 1957 to form modern-day Ghana. Togo gained independence from France in 1960.

Western Togoland is a member of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) . Four million people live in the region. In terms of language and culture, Western Togoland, especially the Volta region, has more in common with Togo. Locals in the region say they feel underrepresented by Ghanaian authorities.

Ghana Project BG Ghana's viele Gesichter Accra
Ghana became the first sub-Saharan African country to become independent in 1957, but is now facing sovereignty questions within its own borders

A previous unsuccessful attempt to declare Western Togoland independent from Ghana took place in 2017. In March 2020, around 80 members of the separatist group were detained for protesting the arrest of seven leaders of the Homeland Study Group Foundation. The charges were later dropped.

Credits | DW

Related Articles

101 COMMENTS

  1. I was recommended this website by means of my cousin. I am not positive whether or not this put up is written by
    him as nobody else realize such certain approximately
    my trouble. You are wonderful! Thank you!

    Feel free to surf to my homepage :: Manual

  2. I don’t know if it’s just me or if perhaps everyone else encountering problems with your site.
    It appears as though some of the text in your posts
    are running off the screen. Can somebody else please provide feedback and let me
    know if this is happening to them too? This might be a issue
    with my internet browser because I’ve had this happen before.
    Cheers

    Feel free to surf to my website :: ace-beaut-design79.webnode.com

  3. Simply wish to say your article is as astonishing.
    The clearness for your post is just great and i can think you’re a
    professional on this subject. Well together with
    your permission allow me to clutch your RSS feed to keep up to date with impending post.

    Thank you 1,000,000 and please carry on the rewarding work.

    My page :: https://diigo.com/0o0w5x

  4. Magnificent items from you, man. I’ve take note your stuff previous to and you are simply too
    great. I really like what you have got right here, certainly
    like what you are saying and the way wherein you say it.
    You are making it enjoyable and you still take care of to stay it smart.

    I cant wait to learn far more from you. This is actually a
    tremendous web site.

    Here is my blog; historyhub.history.gov

  5. I think that everything typed made a great deal of sense.
    But, think about this, what if you added
    a little content? I mean, I don’t want to tell you how to run your blog, but suppose
    you added a headline to possibly grab a person’s attention?
    I mean Ghana’s Western Togoland region declares sovereignty – Law and Society Magazine.
    is a little boring. You ought to glance at Yahoo’s
    home page and note how they write post headlines to grab people interested.
    You might add a related video or a pic or two to get readers excited about what you’ve got to say.
    Just my opinion, it could bring your website a
    little livelier.

    Also visit my page – angdesh.com

  6. Hello, Neat post. There is an issue together with your
    web site in internet explorer, would check this?
    IE nonetheless is the market chief and a good portion of
    people will omit your magnificent writing due to this
    problem.

    Here is my website: radnik.pl

  7. My programmer is trying to persuade me to move to .net from PHP.

    I have always disliked the idea because of the expenses.

    But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using Movable-type on several
    websites for about a year and am worried
    about switching to another platform. I have heard excellent things about blogengine.net.
    Is there a way I can import all my wordpress content into it?
    Any help would be greatly appreciated!

    My web-site: cosplay costumes for sale

  8. Have you ever thought about adding a little bit more than just your articles?
    I mean, what you say is valuable and everything. Nevertheless imagine
    if you added some great visuals or video clips to give your
    posts more, “pop”! Your content is excellent but with images and video clips, this website
    could definitely be one of the most beneficial in its niche.
    Good blog!

    Feel free to surf to my web-site: tradeusa.info

  9. Greetings from Ohio! I’m bored at work so I decided to browse
    your site on my iphone during lunch break. I enjoy the information you
    present here and can’t wait to take a look when I get home.
    I’m amazed at how quick your blog loaded on my phone ..
    I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyhow, wonderful site!

    My web site: http://www.instapaper.com

  10. Hi there! This is my first comment here so I
    just wanted to give a quick shout out and say I really enjoy
    reading through your articles. Can you recommend
    any other blogs/websites/forums that go over the same topics?

    Thank you so much!

    Feel free to surf to my web page :: Simcosplay

  11. Having read this I believed it was really enlightening.
    I appreciate you spending some time and energy to put this article together.

    I once again find myself personally spending a lot of time both reading and posting comments.

    But so what, it was still worthwhile!

    My homepage :: joypdf.com

  12. First off I want to say great blog! I had a quick question that I’d like to ask if you don’t mind.

    I was curious to know how you center yourself and clear your head prior to writing.

    I’ve had difficulty clearing my mind in getting
    my thoughts out. I truly do take pleasure in writing however it just
    seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes tend to be lost simply just trying to figure out how to begin. Any
    suggestions or hints? Thank you!

    My homepage :: borsafix.com

  13. Hey this is kinda of off topic but I was wondering if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you
    have to manually code with HTML. I’m starting a blog soon but have no
    coding expertise so I wanted to get guidance from
    someone with experience. Any help would be enormously appreciated!

    Feel free to surf to my site; season 7 flash suit

  14. Magnificent items from you, man. I have remember your stuff previous to and you’re
    simply extremely great. I actually like what you have obtained here,
    certainly like what you’re stating and the way by which
    you say it. You make it entertaining and you still care for to keep it smart.
    I can not wait to read much more from you. That is really a wonderful web site.

    My blog: pediascape.science

  15. I do not know whether it’s just me or if perhaps everyone
    else experiencing problems with your website. It appears as if
    some of the written text within your posts are running off the screen. Can someone else please comment
    and let me know if this is happening to them as well?
    This could be a issue with my browser because I’ve had this happen previously.
    Thank you

    Here is my web blog … https://www.cakeresume.com/me/bowlharp60/

  16. Please let me know if you’re looking for a article writer for your
    weblog. You have some really great posts and I feel I would be a good asset.
    If you ever want to take some of the load off, I’d
    absolutely love to write some content for your blog in exchange
    for a link back to mine. Please shoot me an e-mail if
    interested. Thanks!

    Also visit my web page :: spider-man homecoming costume

  17. I have been surfing on-line more than 3 hours as of late,
    but I never found any fascinating article like yours.
    It is beautiful value sufficient for me. Personally, if all webmasters and bloggers made good content material as you probably did,
    the internet will likely be a lot more useful than ever before.

    Look into my page – kocek.my

  18. I’m extremely pleased to find this web site. I want to to thank you for your
    time just for this fantastic read!! I definitely loved every little
    bit of it and I have you saved as a favorite to see new things in your site.

    Feel free to visit my web blog :: jmp.sh

  19. Oh my goodness! Impressive article dude! Many thanks,
    However I am going through difficulties with your
    RSS. I don’t understand why I cannot join it. Is there anyone else getting similar
    RSS problems? Anyone who knows the answer can you kindly respond?

    Thanks!!

    My homepage: hawamel.net

  20. When I originally commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added”
    checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get several emails with the same comment.
    Is there any way you can remove me from that service?
    Thank you!

    Feel free to surf to my page – kikipedia.win

  21. An outstanding share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a colleague who has been conducting a little homework on this.
    And he actually ordered me dinner due to the fact that I discovered it for him…
    lol. So allow me to reword this…. Thanks for
    the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending time to
    discuss this topic here on your internet site.

    Here is my web page – http://betot.ru/liga/user/kickmeter18/

  22. Somebody essentially help to make critically articles I
    might state. That is the very first time I frequented your web page
    and up to now? I amazed with the analysis you made to make this actual put up amazing.
    Wonderful process!

    Also visit my web-site – zzb.bz

Stay Connected.

1,169,000FansLike
34,567FollowersFollow
1,401,000FollowersFollow
0SubscribersSubscribe
- Advertisement -

Latest Articles