Army Protect Policemen From Stampede-related Attacks

Ghana deployed army soldiers at Accra police stations Saturday following attacks by angry crowds over a football stampede that claimed at least 126 lives and was blamed on police overreaction.

An AFP correspondent saw soldiers positioned at all major police stations in the capital, especially in the troubled Nima district where policemen have been attacked the past two days.

A water cannon was placed in front of the Nima police station to keep attackers at bay.

Anger has mounted since Wednesday when a football stampede, widely blamed on police overreaction, crushed at least 126 people to death.

On Saturday, gangs of youths criss-crossed Accra, stopping cars to see if any policemen were aboard, witnesses said.

A three-day period of national mourning began Friday, hundreds of enraged youths in Accra pelted policemen with stones, forcing them to retreat from Accra's biggest mosque where prayers were being held for the victims.

In other incidents, they attacked two police stations, burned tyres and roadside kiosks, blocked traffic at major intersections, and shouted slogans such as "Police will die one after the other."

Ghana's police chief Ernest Owusu-Poku late Friday publicly apologised on national television.

"I wish on behalf of the Ghana police service to apologise for the deaths and injuries as a result of last Wednesday's incident," he said.

"The six officers in charge of the contingent (at the stadium) have been interdicted and the administration will not shield or protect anybody who the committee will find has broken the law," he said.

President John Kufuor, in an emotion-filled speech Friday, also vowed to punish the guilty and promised there would "be no cover-ups."

Interior Minister Malik Yakubu said late Friday that police had been replaced by army soldiers in several parts of Accra as "the police now will only inflame people."

"Peace has been one of Ghana's trademarks, and once we are in mourning we must continue to be peaceful," he said.

Wednesday's stampede at the Accra Sports Stadium occurred after a 2-1 victory by reigning league champions Hearts of Oak over arch-rivals Kumasi Ashanti Kotoko.

Kumasi fans began to rip up seats at the stadium and hurl them onto the pitch, causing police to fire canister after canister of tear gas in the stands.

A stampede followed, trapping spectators inside the locked stadium, and killing at least 126, according to official estimates.

On Friday, the Hearts of Oak club announced a donation of 80 million cedis (11,430 dollars) for supporters who had died or were injured in the stampede.

A statement said 50 million cedis (7,143 dollars) would be paid to the families of the bereaved and the rest to the injured.

"The national charter committee will go around and identify the Hearts supporters among the victims and submit a list to the management for payment," a statement said.

Ghanaian newspapers, meanwhile, appealed for calm.

An editorial in Saturday's Graphic said: "We are yet to overcome the profound grief that has gripped us as a nation and people. ... We are still in the three days of national mourning. The last thing any well-meaning Ghanaian would like is another round of confrontation that could only result in more casualties, deeper misery ... more tension and polarisation in our society."