Togo, 1970 — dissident coup conspiracy
Event Summary
This entry is coded 8 August 1970, corresponding to an early plot against President Gnassingbe Eyadema of Togo, who had seized power in a bloodless coup on 13 January 1967 and taken the presidency in April 1967. Having relied on his kinsmen in the north and the largely northern-staffed army, Eyadema in 1969 formed and led a new single party, the Rally of the Togolese People, built on themes of national unity and cultural authenticity. His regime nonetheless faced opposition, primarily from the Ewe of the south, including the self-exiled sons of former president Sylvanus Olympio, who had been killed in the 1963 coup.
Multiple sources record that as early as 1970 Eyadema was forced to suppress a plot to overthrow him. The August 1970 coding sits in this first wave of opposition plotting against the consolidating Eyadema regime, well before the more serious exile-backed coup attempts and bombings of the 1980s.
Researched Details
Researched
Independent research, added record by record. Hover any label for what it means.
Sources
Editorial Note
Cross-Reference
Only one dataset carries it. One of the three reference datasets we check against carries this event; the others do not list it. That is not a contradiction — the datasets cover different periods and use different thresholds — but it means the record has had less outside corroboration.
Identifiers for finding this same event in the other datasets:
- Cline Center id
46108081970
How the match is made is described in crossref-report.md.
Outcome and Target
Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: Eyadema suppressed the 1970 plot and remained in power; he ruled Togo until his death in 2005.
Baseline coding: Plot discovered and disrupted before execution. Recorded leader fate: remained in office; not physically harmed. The baseline file does not name individual targets; researched names are kept in a separate layer.
Baseline Dataset Citation
Baseline Source-Document Entries
CSP
Luttwak
The Guardian
Irish Times
This is the citation trail carried by the baseline dataset, grouped by outlet and rejoined from the line-wrapped original. Coup Atlas has not independently re-checked every document; read the original before citing a specific claim. URLs the import damaged beyond safe repair are shown as plain text and listed in citations-report.md. How this list is built →