On 18 April 1985, a territory in Togo declared itself independent with the name
People's Democratic Socialist Republic of Benin. Naturally the government
moved to suppress the rebellion, but at first things went well for the
PDSRB. It was suspected (though to this day not confirmed, apart from the existence of a Gabonese "volunteer" squadron of fighter pilots), that the PDSRB
was receiving weapons from Gabon and Kamerun. A good deal of the weapons
were of Russian manufacture, which led to the suspicion that the SNOR
regime was supplying the PDSRB with weapons, because Togo was enjoying
close ties with the CSDS (the CSDS and Russia were at the time embroiled
in a cold war of sorts).
The odd part is this: on 18 May at 7:35 AM, a small part of the PDSRB (a
town and its environs) declared itself independent from the PDSRB as the
Ewe State. This 'state' was very near to the frontline of the fighting
between PDSRB and Togolese forces, and Togolese troops immediately
attacked the Ewe State. By 4:45 PM, the Ewe State had fallen to Togolese
forces. At 8:15 PM the PDSRB launched a counterattack, and by 11:30 PM the
territory of the former Ewe State was once again in PDSRB control.
On 22 May Togolese forces launched a massive frontal attack supported by
units of the Gold Coast Army (who had entered at the request of the
Togolese government), and on 23 May Upper Voltan army units entered too,
and the PDSRB fell on 26 May.
Ewe State
State Flag. There was only one found in existance after the end of the civil war. It was the one that was hoisted on the Ewe State House, made of various pieces of cloth sewn on top of each other. The reverse side was plain green (no design, just the colour of the base cloth). Inquiries were made by members of the Dalmatian Vexillological Association, and one of the members of the DVA met the woman who sewed the flag, Gloria Aczeampong. According to her, a friend of her husband (who was an associate of the President of the Ewe State) gave her a drawing of a flag about a week before independence was declared and asked her to make it. The flag survives in the Togolese Museum of National History.
People's Democratic Socialist Republic of Benin Republika Populara Soczialista da Benin
State Flag. A goodly number were made and sprang up rapidly all over the territory of the PDSRB in the early days. Several originals survive, including one at the Togolese Museum of National History (the Victory banner, inscribed with the following text: Bitoria! - 26-5-85 - XV. Rexhiment, Usztra Togoleska. The flag was lowered from the PDSRB Government house on that day by members of the 15th Regiment of the Togolese Army.
Roundel of the Air Army of the PDSRB (ERPSB - Erousztra da Republikaya Populara Soczialista da Benin). The PDSRB Air Army had only one airplane (a biplane dating back to the 1920s) and two helicopters at the time of the secession. A number of Gabonese aircraft operated on behalf of the PDSRB with this marking; this was discovered on 24 April 1985, when a Russian-built Lavochkin LaGG-17 (a nimble but underarmed fighter dating to the 1960s) was shot down by the XXIV. Air Defence Artillery Battery. The pilot survived and was taken prisoner. During his interrogation it was revealed that the Gabonese Air Force squadron to which he belonged had volunteered to fly on behalf of the PDSRB. Back
