Politics Betrayal N 13 May 1972, at the Elaborate Co-Secretary-General of the Ruling PDG Party
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Cover Story politics betrayal n 13 May 1972, at the elaborate co-secretary-general of the ruling PDG party. state funeral held for Nkrumah in Nkrumah was also settled in Villa Syli, a Conakry, Guinea, Amilcar Cabral, comfortable government guest house near O the charismatic leader of Guinea the sea, from where he worked on several Bissau, seemed to sum it all up when he books published in his exile years. said in his powerful tribute to Nkrumah: He had earlier lived temporarily in Belle “Nobody can tell us that Nkrumah died of a Vue, another government guest house, but cancer of the throat or some other illness. No, it was too small for him and the large presi- Nkrumah was killed by the cancer of betrayal dential entourage which had accompanied which we must uproot from Africa if we really him on his cancelled peace mission to Hanoi, want to bring about the final liquidation of Vietnam, during that country’s protracted imperialist domination from this continent… war with America. As an African adage says, ‘those who dare to From Conakry, Nkrumah made very spit at the sky only dirty their own faces’… strenuous but fruitless efforts to regain power We, the liberation movements, will not forgive in Ghana. The query has always been why those who betrayed Nkrumah. The people of he was unsuccessful? For example, the most Ghana will not forgive. Africa will not forgive. serious effort to unseat the military junta that Ghana Progressive mankind will not forgive. Let overthrew him – the National Liberation those who still have to rehabilitate themselves Council (NLC) – was the 17 April 1967 in the eyes of Africa make haste to do so. It is counter-coup by Lieutenants S. Arthur and not yet too late.” M. Yeboah, in which General Emmanuel Incidentally, as part of the intrigue of K. Kotoka, the NLC chairman, and some politicsof betrayals, Cabral himself became a victim of military officers were killed. a more sinister “cancer of betrayal” when he There were several other plots and was assassinated in Conakry in January 1973, counter-plots in Nkrumah’s name, but as less than a year after his powerful speech. a result of varied levels of betrayals, none In Nkrumah’s exile years in Conakry, the was successful. In the midst of all this, the “cancer of betrayal” metamorphosed into Portuguese ships attacked on 22 November betrayal varied scenarios, including a 22 November 1970 with the aim of seizing Sekou Toure, 1970 attack by Portuguese warships full of Nkrumah and Amilcar Cabral. mercenaries whose aim was to topple the In an early morning assault, and relying on In his exiled years in Guinea after Guinean government under President Sekou information from Guinea-based informants, his overthrow in February 1966, Toure and, possibly, seize Nkrumah, Toure the Portuguese attacks were directed at the President Kwame Nkrumah made and Cabral, the revolutionary trio. Belle Vue (but Nkrumah was no longer liv- As it were, Guinean forces repulsed the ing there) as well as the official presidential strenuous efforts to return to attack but, in the context of betrayal and residence in Conakry, and another one power. But, as Dr A. B. Assensoh, disbelief, Nkrumah – who had been declared housing Cabral. Guinean forces repulsed who worked with Nkrumah in hale and hearty by Vietnamese, Russian and the attacks and several mercenaries were Conakry reveals, some stalwarts Chinese medical experts – died two years captured, including their alleged leader, one of Nkrumah’s party (the CPP) were after the attack (from what is now believed Captain Fernando. to have been slow poisoning) and, a year after In January 1971, the Guinean parliament in the pay of the military junta Nkrumah’ death on 27 April 1972, Cabral was constituted into a People’s Supreme Court which had overthrown him, and was assassinated (in January 1973). for the trial of cabinet members, governors, thus helped to thwart his efforts to When Nkrumah arrived in Conakry on military officers, political functionaries and regain power. As Ghana celebrates 2 March 1966, six days after his overthrow, some foreigners implicated in the attacks to 50 years of independence, the time he was made a co-president of Guinea by overthrow Toure’s government. is here for those who played the President Sekou Toure. As a benefactor of Meanwhile, Nkrumah became so seriously Guinea, to whom Nkrumah’s government ill that he had to leave Guinea in August 1971 “politics of betrayal” to take a good, had given a loan of £10m when the colonial for Bucharest, Romania, for medical treat- hard look at themselves. master, France, in an immense seizure of ment. For security reasons, only two trusted pique, took away every movable object Ghanaians and a Guinean official, Camara in the country because Guinea refused to Sana, accompanied Nkrumah. become “second-class French citizens” and He was still in hospital in Bucharest Left: Dr Hilla Limann (who became opted for independence, Nkrumah was seen when, on 13 January 1972, Colonel Ignatius president of Ghana, Sept 1979-Dec by many Guineans as very deserving of the Kutu Acheampong overthrew Dr Kofi Abrefa 1981, on the ticket of the rump of co-presidential honour bestowed on him at Busia’s government which had been elected Nkrumah’s party) was one of the pro-coup intelligence officers who a large political rally in Conakry. into power in Ghana in 1969. worked against Nkrumah’s plans Additionally, Sekou Toure declared Nkrumah and his supporters wished that to return to power Nkrumah, his pan-Africanist brother, the the coup leaders would extend an invitation March 2007 New African n 53 Cover Story for him to be brought back home, at least to die on Ghanaian soil. Instead, as reported in medical records, Nkrumah’s cancer had spread in his body and he died very early in the morning of 27 April 1972. It was a sad day for Africa and pan-Africanism. His remains were taken to Conakry on 30 April 1972 instead of Ghana. The funeral was held over two days (13-14 May). It was not until July 1972 that Acheampong’s regime agreed to bring Nkrumah’s remains to Ghana for re-burial at Nkroful, his hometown, in the Western Region, as Nkrumah had wished. Acheampong acceded to conditions set by President Sekou Toure, among which “How Limann who worked against Nkrumah and the cPP could inherit his mantle and become president in the name of the cPP political tradition, is the question Nkrumah’s followers in Ghana have failed to answer.” was that Nkrumah would be given a state burial in Ghana. Therefore, on 7 July 1972, Dr Kofi Abrefa Busia who became prime minister in 1969, Nkrumah’s remains were flown in a Guinean after the NLC handed over Air Force plane to Accra. The reburial took power, was himself overthrown by Col Kutu Acheampong’s coup place two days later. of 13 January 1972 Many years later, during the government of President Jerry Rawlings, Nkrumah’s remains were exhumed and finally buried in a new mausoleum in central Accra built on the spot where he had declared independence was publishing very sophisticated analyses of the the Ashanti Regional commissioner, R. O. in 1957. Ghanaian situation, interspersed with editorials Amoako-Atta, as an uncle. Under the influ- for the overthrow of the NLC regime. ence of the two men, I assisted in the efforts The betrayals Panaf Books Limited, Nkrumah’s publish- to return Nkrumah to power, but we were When Nkrumah settled down in Guinea, ing company, headed by June Milne as editor, badly betrayed. he busied himself with extensive reading, was also housed at the 89 Fleet Street office In fact, between 1966 and 1972, the NLC writing, studying French, and learning how of the magazine. Also, Ekow Eshun, the loyal (supported by its Western friends) actually to drive, all of which were, according to his London-based head of the overseas wing of worked hard to thwart Nkrumah’s efforts to supporters, part of the preparations towards Nkrumah’s Convention People’s. Party (CPP) return to power. The junta severed diplomatic regaining power in Ghana. Yet, all his efforts was coordinating pro-Nkrumah activities from relations with Guinea for allowing Nkrumah were aborted for various reasons, including London to West African capitals. sanctuary in Conakry. As I learnt, however, sheer betrayal of his plans. Nkrumah also used diverse avenues in a friendly (pro-NLC) diplomatic mission in He continued to broadcast to Ghana, Nigeria and other West African nations to Conakry was used as an intelligence post to especially on independence anniversaries. recruit journalists and other mobile profes- monitor Nkrumah’s movements and his agents He also wrote pamphlets, including Ghana: sionals to help in his efforts to regain power. coming in and out of Guinea. the Way Out (May 1968) in which he urged That was how some of us, as journalists, In the end, agents of Ghana’s Special his fellow Ghanaians to eschew non-violent were recruited, but sadly many of us were Branch (internal security unit attached to the action and, now, resort to force to overthrow betrayed by some leading CPP leaders who Ghana Police Service) arrested me at the Aflao the NLC regime. were working with us. border between Ghana and Togo. From London’s Fleet Street, Douglas My older brother (Anthony Nelson Ghanaian Foreign Service officers from Rogers, editor of the Nkrumah-government Assensoh) was a district commissioner the Research Bureau (the Foreign Ministry’s owned Africa and the World monthly magazine in Nkrumah’ government; he treated intelligence unit) were posted to embassies 54 n New African March 2007 in West Africa to monitor the activities of of Eshun’s trip to the military junta in Accra.