The blast took place in Toun prefecture, near the border with Burkina Faso, from where Sahel jihadist activity threatens to spread to coastal West African states
Togo’s army revealed on Thursday that its own forces were responsible for a recent blast in the north that killed seven civilians and wounded two others – all of whom were teenagers – saying it was mistaken for jihadists.
The blast took place in the Ton prefecture, near the border with Burkina Faso, from where Sahel jihadist activity threatens to spread to coastal West African states.
Units of the armed forces of Togo have recently been deployed in this area to prevent the risk of a metastasis of the jihadist threat.
On Sunday, with a press release that it published, the army assured that it had started an investigation “to clarify the circumstances of this explosion and identify those responsible”.
The chief of the general staff of the national defense of Togo, General Daja Maganawe, revealed yesterday that the conclusion reached by the investigation was that a military aircraft accidentally hit civilians.
“On the night of July 9 to 10, around 01:30 (SST: 04:30 Greek time), an explosion had many victims in the village of Margba, in Ton prefecture,” he said in a statement.
He added that the army had “information” that there was going to be an “infiltration of armed gangs who intended to commit acts of terrorism” against communities in the area.
“Due to the immediate danger,” he continued, the commander of operations in the sector “intensified air surveillance and ground and air controls in the area.”
“During the operation, an aircraft on a night patrol unfortunately targeted a group of people that it mistakenly believed to be a group of jihadists on the move,” he said.
“The armed forces of Togo express their deep sorrow for this tragedy”, their condolences to the families of the victims and their wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured, added the chief of the general staff.
General Maganawe added that “every effort will be made” to “avoid the recurrence of tragedies of this nature”.
A medical source in the area said all the victims were between 14 and 18 years old. According to Togolese media reports, they were returning home after the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.
Last month, Togo’s government declared a state of emergency in the north, citing the threat of jihadist attacks. Eight soldiers were killed and 13 others wounded in an attack by dozens of gunmen in the area in May.
View the news feed and get the latest news.
