St. Paul recorder., 1963-02-14
Focus On
Africa
BY EDDIE L. MADISON, JR.


II of these governments and
four assaSSinations, the most re-
cent being the brutal staying of
Sylvanus Olympic, President of
Togo. With but three exceptions
these have occurred in countries
that have become independent
since 1857 when Ghana was born.
In weighing the circumstances
surrounding this tragic chain of
events, this question arises:
Are these plots, murders and at
tempted murders solely the work
of politically ambitious opponents,
Africans dissatisfied with their
leaders, or are the fledgling gov
ernments being plagued by the de-
signs Of some outside force or
forces?
Most observers Of the African
scene agree that interests outside
the continent played no small part
in the death in 1861 of Patrice
Lumumba, deposed premier Of the
troubled Congo (Leopoldville). The
degree Of foreign involvement in
many Of the other countries has
been debatable, since most Of the
reported plots would appear to
have stemmed from discord within
the boundaries Of the respective
countries, sometimes coupled with
charges of support from neighbor-
ing African states.
Countries in which charges of
plots to overthrow the government
have been made, including assas-
sination attempts in some cases, In
addition to Togo and the Congo,
include:
Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Lib
eria, Urund (now Burundi), GUM
ca, Mali, Chad, Somalia, Tunisia,
Egypt, Sierra Leone, Cameroun,
Senegal and the Ivory Coast.
An unsuccessful and bloodless
coup d'etat in Senegal preceded
Olympio's assassination by only a
few weeks, with Prime Minister
Mamadou Dia and three aides be-
ing placed under arrest by Presi-
dent Leopold Senghor.
On the heels Of the take-over
of the Togo government by mill
tary insurgents, there was re-
port from Abidjan, Ivory Coast,
that unidentified elements at
tempted coup in the capital dur
ing the same time that Olympic
was killed. The Ivory Coast gov
ernment, headed by President Fe-
lix Houphouet-Biogny, said the
coup failed.
Most of the earlier attempts oc-
Cured in 1861 and 1862. Wide at
tenton was given to the series of
bombings in Ghana, one officially
described as an attempt on the life
Of President Kwame Nkrumah, and
the discovery Of a plot to over
throw the Nigerian government.
The Ghana bombings started Aug.
1, 1862 when the attempt on Nkru-
nah took place and have continued
through January Of this year. The
Nigerian charges were the out
growth Of charges of corruption
in the Western Region Develop
ment corporation and a political
clash within the Action Group
Party, which controlled the Wes-
tern Region.
Ghana had been blamed by the
Togo Government for a plot
against Olympic in Dec, 1861. At
least three attempts had been made
on Olympio's life prior to his as
sassination. President Nkrumah, on
the other hand, blamed the Togo
government for harboring Ghana-
ian refugees who it said were re-
sponsible for part Of the trouble in
Ghana.
Another sister state, Nigeria,
pointed the finger at Ghana dur
ing 1862, saying the Nkrumha
government was interfering in
Nigerian affairs. Later in the year,
during the treason trial of Action
Group leader Chief Obafemi Awol-
owo and "a others, a major pro-
secution witness said he was the
go-between in an agreement to
have Nigerian youths trained in
the use of arms in Ghana, with
the aim Of overthrowing the Nj
gerian government. Ghana empha-
tically denied the charges.
Liberia linked a plot to over
throw the government of President
William v. S. Tubman to alleged
Soviet interests. Guinea, often re-
garded as friendly to Russia, made
a similar charge. President SekoL
Toure said IAN eastern bloc
country" was responsible for dis
turbances in Guinea
The Liberia and Guinea charges
seemed to fit a scheme reported
in August, 1861, (before the Nj
gerian crisis) by Nigerian student
G. Okotcha, who said
Russia had "a CHASTITY plan" for
in Africa. Okotcha told |
London and African newsmen that |
the Russian master plan called for |
the overthrow of the Nigerian gov
ernment and the physical elm
lnation" Of three principal govern
ment officials. His charges were