France Will Send Troops to Aid Togo : Fighting Breaks Out in Capital of Lome After Coup Attempt

France announced today it is sending planes and soldiers to Togo to help the Togolese government. Meanwhile fighting broke out in the capital one day after a coup attempt.

In Paris, the Defense Ministry said France will dispatch immediate military aid to Togo. The aid, it said, was requested by the Togolese government under a 1963 joint defense pact.

“The president of the Togolese republic, in view of the situation in his country, has just asked for military assistance from France under the terms of the defense accords between Togo and France of July 10, 1963,” said a statement released by the French Defense Ministry.

Land and Air Forces

“French land and air forces will be dispatched to Togo as soon as possible in application of the clauses of this agreement,” it said.

The new gunfire in Togo broke out in various parts of Lome as security forces sought out the remnants of a 50-member invading force that military sources said tried to kill or capture President Gnassingbe Eyadema Tuesday night.

State radio said 10 more of the “terrorists” were arrested during house-to-house searches today, bringing the number seized to 29. It also blamed them for the shooting, saying they fired at random in a desperate attempt to escape.

Togolese who turned up for work in response to government calls to resume normal activities rushed back home when shooting resumed after a 24-hour lull. Shops, banks and marketplaces remained closed.

‘Like a Ghost Town’

“Right now, it is so quiet here, Lome is like a ghost town,” a U.S. Embassy spokeswoman told United Press International by telephone.

Tanks and armored vehicles were posted outside strategic buildings in the capital, including the presidential residence.

At least 13 people were killed when the armed insurgents entered the city late Tuesday night and attacked a military camp where Eyadema lives, the local radio station and other strategic centers, according to state-run Radio Togo.

The Togolese forces overcame the “terrorist commandos” in fighting that lasted until the next morning, the radio said.

All Flights Canceled

A spokesman for the multinational Air Afrique airline said in Abidjan, capital of the Ivory Coast 400 miles to the west, that all flights to Lome had been canceled until further notice following the closure of Lome airport to civil traffic.