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June 4 revolution | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Ghana (Supreme Military Council) | Armed Forces Revolutionary Council | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Ignatius Kutu Acheampong Fred Akuffo | Jerry Rawlings |
The June 4th Revolution [1] or June 4th Uprising was an uprising in Ghana in 1979 that arose due to a conflict between the lower ranks and officers in the Ghana armed forces. [2] This led to frustration among the general public and misunderstandings within the Ghanaian army. [3] [4] [5]
The revolution began when the military government of the Supreme Military Council (SMC II), consisting of Lieutenant General Fred Akuffo, put Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings on public trial for attempting to overthrow the government on 15 May 1979. This failed coup had happened because Rawlings, a junior soldier in the Ghanaian Army, and other Ghanaian soldiers were not given their salaries.
Rawlings turned the trial against the government by accusing it of massive corruption and requesting his fellow accused to be set free as he was solely responsible for the mutiny. He was publicly sentenced to death and imprisoned. [6]
On the night of 3 June 1979, junior military officers, including Major Boakye Djan, broke into the jail where Rawlings was held and helped free him. They then marched him to the national radio station to make an announcement. The first time the public heard from Rawlings was a statement that he had been released by the junior officers and that he was under their command. He requested all soldiers to meet with him at the Nicholson Stadium in Burma Camp, in Accra.
The soldiers rounded up senior military officers, including three former heads of state, General Fred Akuffo, Ignatius Kutu Acheampong and Akwasi Afrifa for trial. They were executed by a firing squad.
Rawlings was then appointed the head of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) by the revolting junior military officers to run the country until the ongoing election was completed. Rawlings handed over his power to Hilla Limann in September 1979, but overthrew Limann's government on 31 December 1981.
The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) is the state military organisation of Ghana, consisting of the Army (GA), Navy (GN), and Ghana Air Force.
Jerry John Rawlings was a Ghanaian military officer, aviator and politician who led the country for a brief period in 1979, and then from 1981 to 2001. He led a military junta until 1992, and then served two terms as the democratically elected president of Ghana. He was the longest-serving leader in Ghana's history, presiding over the country for 20 years.
Ignatius Kutu Acheampong was a Ghanaian military officer and politician who was the military head of state of Ghana from 13 January 1972 to 5 July 1978, when he was deposed in a palace coup. He was executed by firing squad on 16 June 1979.
Hilla Limann, was a Ghanaian diplomat and politician who served the President of Ghana from 24 September 1979 to 31 December 1981. He served as a diplomat in Lomé, Togo and Geneva, Switzerland.
Lieutenant General Frederick William "Fred" Kwasi Akuffo was a Ghanaian soldier and politician. He was Chief of the Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces from 1976 to 1978, and chairman of the ruling Supreme Military Council in Ghana from 1978 to 1979. He became leader of the government in a palace coup against General Kutu Acheampong, and was overthrown and executed in another military coup less than a year later.
The Supreme Military Council (SMC) was the ruling government of Ghana from 9 October 1975 to 4 June 1979. Its chairman was Colonel I.K. Acheampong. He was also the Head of state of Ghana due to his chairmanship.
The Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) was the military Junta that seized power in Ghana from June 4, 1979, to September 24, 1979.
Colonel Roger Joseph Atogetipoli Felli was a soldier and politician who was once the foreign minister of Ghana.
Major General Robert Ebenezer Abossey Kotei was a soldier, politician and track and field athlete. He was once the Chief of Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces and also a member of the Supreme Military Council that ruled Ghana between 1975 and 1979. He was executed in 1979, following a military coup. He also held the Ghanaian high jump record for many years.
A referendum on the system of government was held in Ghana on 30 March 1978.
Major Kojo Boakye-Djan was a Ghanaian military officer and coup plotter. He is known to have planned the coup that brought Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings to power in Ghana on 4 June 1979 with other junior officers.
The mass media in Ghana, includes television, radio, internet publishing and newspapers.
Major General Neville Alexander Odartey-Wellington (1934–1979) was a Ghanaian army officer who was Chief of Army Staff of the Ghana Army from 1978 to 1979. He died in action leading loyal troops against revolting forces during the 4 June 1979 military uprising in Ghana which toppled the Supreme Military Council II government led by Fred Akuffo.
Ghana gained independence from the British on 6 March 1957. It is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The country became a republic on July 1, 1960.
1970s in Ghana details events of note that happened in Ghana in the years 1970 to 1979.
Kwesi Armah was a Ghanaian politician and diplomat. He was the High Commissioner (Ambassador) to the Court of St. James in London, England, and the Minister of Foreign Trade in the administration of Kwame Nkrumah before the military coup of 1966. He later served in the Council of State in the government of John Kufuor.
Peter Tasiri Azongo is a Ghanaian soldier and politician. He was a member of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) which ruled Ghana for a few months in 1979.
The Political history of Ghana recounts the history of varying political systems that existed in Ghana during pre-colonial times, the colonial era and after independence. Pre-colonial Ghana was made up of several states and ethnic groups whose political system was categorized by 3 main administrative models; Centralized, Non-centralized and Theocratic states. In the colonial era, the British Empire employed different forms of government among its four territorial possessions in the Gold Coast. Indirect rule was implemented in the late 19th century after its success in Northern Nigeria. From the 1940s, native Ghanaians yearned for more autonomy. This resulted in the several constitutional reforms as well as the creation of the office of the Prime Minister in 1952.
On 30 June 1982 three high court judges and a retired army officer were abducted from their homes between the hours of 9:00pm and 10:30pm GMT and murdered at the Bundase military shooting range near Accra. The murders led to public outcry and the formation of a Special Investigations Board (SIB) to investigate the events. The report of the SIB led to the charging and trial of the perpetrators who were subsequently sentenced to death by firing squad. This event is now commemorated on 30 June every year as Martyrs Day in Ghana.