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| June 4 revolution | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Ghana (Supreme Military Council) | Armed Forces Revolutionary Council | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Fred Akuffo  | Jerry Rawlings | ||||||
TheJune 4th Revolution[1] orJune 4th Uprising was an uprising inGhana 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]
The revolution began when the military government of theSupreme Military Council (SMC II), consisting of Lieutenant GeneralFred Akuffo, put Flight LieutenantJerry 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 theGhanaian Army, and otherGhanaian 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 inBurma Camp, inAccra.
The soldiers rounded up senior military officers, including three former heads of state, GeneralFred Akuffo,Ignatius Kutu Acheampong andAkwasi Afrifa for trial. They were executed by a firing squad.
Rawlings was then appointed the head of theArmed 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 toHilla Limann in September 1979, but overthrew Limann's government on 31 December 1981.
