1919-1956: mandate division and plebiscite
German Togoland was divided in 1919; the 1956 plebiscite integrated British Togoland into what became Ghana.[1]
· Referendum or popular consultation
British Togoland status plebiscite, 1956
A UN-supervised vote integrated British Togoland into what became Ghana, a result some later separatists dispute.
1994-2019: the HSGF
The HSGF, founded 1994, made ineffective independence declarations in 2017 and 2019.[2]
2020: the WTRF rebellion
The WTRF declared sovereignty and attacked police stations in September 2020, leading to arrests and 2024 sentencing.[3]
· Conflict episode
Western Togoland Rebellion, 2020
The WTRF declared sovereignty and attacked police stations, prompting a security crackdown.
Sources for this page
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
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1.
Claim: Following Germany's defeat in the First World War, German Togoland was divided under the 1919 post-war settlement into British Togoland (Western Togoland) and French Togoland; in a 1956 UN-supervised plebiscite, 58% of voters in British Togoland chose integration with the neighbouring Gold Coast, which became independent Ghana in 1957. Some contemporary Western Togoland separatists have characterized this plebiscite as flawed, alleging voter intimidation, inadequate information campaigns and the exclusion of an independence option; this bundle presents these as attributed allegations, not adjudicated by this bundle.
- Western Togoland (Wikipedia) link, 1919 division and 1956 plebiscite section. Source record
- Western Togoland: a Secessionist Conflict in the Heart of Ghana (Wilson Center) link, Plebiscite criticism section. Source record
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2.
Claim: The Homeland Study Group Foundation (HSGF) was founded by Charles Kormi Kudzordzi in 1994 and publicly revived the demand for Western Togoland's independence from 2017; on 9 May 2017, the HSGF unsuccessfully attempted to declare Western Togoland's independence. In 2019, Kudzordzi and dozens of HSGF members were arrested on conspiracy charges, and in November 2019 the group again declared independence for the Volta Region and parts of the Northern, North East and Upper East Regions, a declaration that did not alter the territory's actual status within Ghana.
- Western Togoland: a Secessionist Conflict in the Heart of Ghana (Wilson Center) link, HSGF founding and 2017/2019 declarations section. Source record
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3.
Claim: On 1 September 2020, the Western Togoland Restoration Front (WTRF), an organisation drawing significant support from the Ewe ethnic group, declared Western Togoland's sovereignty; on 25 September 2020, WTRF-linked separatists attacked police stations at Aveyime and Mepe, seizing an estimated 15 AK-47 rifles and other weapons and injuring the local police divisional commander. Ghanaian security forces conducted joint military-police operations in response, arresting 31 WTRF members; the clashes resulted in one separatist death and three injuries, and residents reported at least two civilian deaths during subsequent security operations in nearby communities, an allegation this bundle does not independently adjudicate. In 2024, four WTRF executives were sentenced to 17 years' imprisonment.
- Western Togoland Rebellion (Wikipedia) link, Declaration, attacks, and aftermath sections. Source record
Printed from https://independenceatlas.com/movements/western-togoland/history · last substantive update 24 September 2026.