Attackers of Togo Football Team Arrested in Angola

Remains of assistant soccer coach Amalete Abalo arrives in the capital Lome

Authorities in the South-Central African country of Angola have announced that they have arrested two people on suspicion of attacking a bus carrying the Togo national soccer team to the African Nations Cup. The announcement was made by provincial prosecutor Antonio Nito in a statement to the press. He said “The two elements of FLEC were captured at the scene of the incident, the road to Massabi that connects both countries (Angola and Congo),” It seems those arrested belonged to the (FLEC) The Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda, a group that has been fighting for independence from Angola for over thirty years.

Gunmen ambushed the Togo team shortly before arriving in the country while crossing from the Republic of Congo into Cabinda, an area geographically separate from the rest of Angola. According to some Togolese players, their bus was machine-gunned with bullets for several minutes. Assistant soccer coach Amalete Abalo, was killed instantly while several players sustained injuries and only one with severe injuries and had to be hospitalized for treatment. The incident led to the Togolese government withdrawing the team from the tournament.

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