The Togo football team, on its way to the Africa Cup of Nations, was shot at by Cabinda rebels nearby the Angolan border . This happened just a few hours ago and there are reports that 2 players and a bus driver are seriously injured. Cabinda rebels represent a separatist movement that is fighting for independence from the Angolan state. The Cabinda region is rich with oil and has been a zone of turmoil since the 1960s.
This tragic event shows how heavily publicized events like the Africa Cup of Nations can become hostage to political pressures of all sorts and there are even some voices like those of Claude Leroy, the former coach of Cameroon and Ghana, who question if the tournament should still be held. There is always a debate here about caving in or not, but in any case the damage is done and human lives are at stake here.
Update: The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has just decided that the Africa Cup of Nations will be played.
Maracanazos condemn political violence.
[...] first round of the Africa Cup of Nations is over. The major controversy, apart from the dramatic incidents which affected the Togolese team, was the ranking system the Confederation of African football [...]