LOME, Togo (AP) — Weapons fire shook the capital of Togo on Sunday as planes and troops rushed in to repel what the government said were insurgents shelling the West African nation from neighboring Ghana.
Stray shells landed in several neighborhoods in Lome, the capital, near the Ghana border Sunday morning, witnesses said.
There were no immediate reports of casualties. Heavy firing abated by the afternoon.
In a state radio broadcast, Minister of Interior and Security Seyi Memene blamed the shelling on unidentified “aggressors” that he said had tried unsuccessfully to enter the country.
Ghana condemned the alleged incursion and sent its top army officer to meet with officials in Lome over the incident. The two countries said they were working together to flush out the alleged attackers.
Relations between Ghana and Togo have traditionally been cool, partly because of efforts by ethnic Ewe activists to create a homeland encompassing parts of both countries.