Angolan rebels claim responsibility for attack on Togo team

London, Jan 9 (ANI): Angolan rebel group the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC) has said that they were behind the horrific attack on the Togo football team in Cabinda.

Gunmen attacked a bus carrying the Togo national football team as it travelled to the Africa Cup of Nations football tournament in Angola on Friday. The driver was killed and two players were among nine injured in the ambush.

Angola has termed the attack as "an act of terrorism" by rogue members of the group.

The rebels have been fighting for independence since 1966, after refusing to sign a peace deal following a bloody 27-year civil war and have kidnapped and killed several soldiers and oil staff in recent months.

Cabinda minister Bento Bembe said: "The attack comes from certain individuals who want to cause problems for us."

They want northern province Cabinda to be made a republic, largely due to the millions of pounds it can yield in exports, he added.

Rebels believe the province has its own distinct identity, history and culture. Angola is one of the largest oil and diamond producers in the world, but is among its poorest countries. (ANI)