/ 30 June 1999

TOGOLESE CHOPPERS IN GHANA

TWO Togolese military helicopters crossed into Ghanaian territory this week, some 200km northeast of Accra, police said on Wednesday. Three armed uniformed soldiers and two white males were aboard the helicopter, which bore a Togolese flag, the police said. The aircraft touched down on Monday in the remote forest village of Wli, near Hohoe, before taking off an hour later. The crew refused to talk to the local traditional chief or villagers when asked about their mission. A Ghanaian security official confirmed the incident but said the landing was not a hostile act. An official at Togo’s embassy in Ghana said the helicopters were engaged in an exercise to flush out criminal elements near the border.