June 4th revolution in Ghana

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]

June 4 revolution
Date 4 June 1979; 45 years ago (1979-06-04) Location Ghana Result Armed forces victory Colonel I.K. Acheampong deposed and executed
Belligerents
Ghana (Supreme Military Council)	Armed Forces Revolutionary Council
Commanders and leaders
Ignatius Kutu Acheampong   Fred Akuffo	Jerry Rawlings

Cause

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.

Aftermath

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.

See also

• History of Ghana (1966–79)

References

1. Gocking, Roger (30 June 2005). The History of Ghana. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 212. ISBN 978-0-313-31894-8.
2. Pieterse, Jan (1 April 1982). "Rawlings and the 1979 revolt in Ghana". Race & Class. 23 (4). Retrieved 30 May 2024.
3. Amamoo, Joseph G. (2000). The Ghanaian Revolution. iUniverse. p. 190. ISBN 978-0-595-14627-7.
4. Winfrey, Carey (30 July 1979). "Hard. Times Follow Ghana Coup". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
5. "Los golpistas de Ghana prometen elecciones este mes". El País (in Spanish). 6 June 1979. ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
6. Hardi, Ibrahim (1 June 2015). "June 4th Is About Values And Principles". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 13 March 2021.

Bibliography

• Amamoo, Joseph G., "The Ghanaian Revolution", p. 190, iUniverse (2000), ISBN 9780595146277
• Ninsin, Kwame A., "Issues in Ghana's Electoral Politics", p. 40, CODESRIA (2017), ISBN 9782869786943
• Gocking, Roger, "The History of Ghana", Greenwood Publishing Group (2005), p. 212, ISBN 9780313318948
• The New York Times: "Hard. Times Follow Ghana Coup" (30 July 1979)
• El País: "Los golpistas de Ghana prometen elecciones este mes" (6 June 1979)