Africa Cup of Nations
January 11, 2010
Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos denounced the attack by separatist rebels in the northern enclave of Cabinda, as the Africa Cup of Nations kicked off in Angola on Sunday.
"We condemn this act of terror, but the competition will continue in Cabinda," Dos Santos said as he opened the tournament in the capital, Luanda.
His government and African football officials had earlier pleaded with the Togolese authorities to allow the players to fulfill their wish to compete in the tournament to honour their slain colleagues.
"It's very sad. It's hard for Africa and for us. These things are part of life, you have to accept it," Togo captain Emmanuel Adebayor, who plays his club football for Manchester City, told the AFP news agency at the airport in Cabinda.
Sad homecoming
The team later arrived on a government plane in the Togolese capital Lome, where it was met at the airport by Prime Minister Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo, members of the government and sports officials, an AFP correspondent reported.
The attack by hooded gunmen claimed the lives of Togo's assistant coach and the team's press officer along with one of the drivers of the convoy.
The Togolese reserve goalkeeper, Kodjovi Obilale, reportedly sustained two gunshot wounds in the attack and was flown to South Africa for hospital treatment. He is said to be in a stable condition.
Seven others were also injured in the incident on Friday, including defender Serge Akakpo of the Romanian team Vaslui. The other injured passengers included two squad doctors and a journalist.
Major sporting event
The attack threatens to overshadow the tournament, which takes place in Angola over the next three weeks.
The assailants opened fire on the vehicles as they travelled from Cabinda, an Angolan enclave to the north of the country. The attack lasted some 20 minutes.
Responsibility for the assault has been claimed by the separatist group Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC).
The Angolan minister in charge of affairs in Cabinda, Antonio Bento Bembe, said that the attack was "an act of terrorism."
The oil-producing region of Cabinda has been the site of a decades-long struggle for independence by the separatist group FLEC. Despite this, it is scheduled to play host to seven tournament matches this month.
nrt/dfm/AFP/Reuters/AP/L'Equipe
Editor: Chuck Penfold