Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
On 24 February 1966, Ghana's military and police launched a coup that removed President Kwame Nkrumah from power while he was on a diplomatic mission to Asia. The operation, known as "Operation Cold Chop," was carried out with little resistance and brought an end to Nkrumah's increasingly centralised one-party rule.
The new regime, known as the National Liberation Council, suspended the constitution, dissolved parliament, and banned the ruling Convention People's Party. Nkrumah, who remained in exile, denounced the coup as an imperialist plot, while his opponents celebrated what they saw as the restoration of political freedom.
ITN's Sandy Gall followed the coup on the ground.
#coldwar #coup #Ghana #kwamenkrumah #history #itnarchive #marxist
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On 24 February 1966, Ghana's military and police launched a coup that removed President Kwame Nkrumah from power while he was on a diplomatic mission to Asia. The operation, known as "Operation Cold Chop," was carried out with little resistance and brought an end to Nkrumah's increasingly centralised one-party rule.
The new regime, known as the National Liberation Council, suspended the constitution, dissolved parliament, and banned the ruling Convention People's Party. Nkrumah, who remained in exile, denounced the coup as an imperialist plot, while his opponents celebrated what they saw as the restoration of political freedom.
ITN's Sandy Gall followed the coup on the ground.
#coldwar #coup #Ghana #kwamenkrumah #history #itnarchive #marxist
To license the footage featured in this clip, follow the link below:
gettyimages.com/search/2/film?family=editorial&phrase=X02036601*
To search the ITN Archive collection on Getty Images, follow the link below:
gettyimages.co.uk/footage/itn
🎥 Subscribe to our YouTube channel (tap the bell icon and stay up to date with all the latest ITN Archive videos!) - youtube.com/@ITNArchive
🎥 Follow us on Twitter - twitter.com/ITNArchive
🎥 Like us on Facebook - facebook.com/ITNArchiveITNP
🎥 Check out our TikTok - tiktok.com/@itnarchive1955
