Will Togo stay in the Africa Cup of Nations? The situation was unclear this weekend after a separatist attack that left three people associated with the West African team dead and several others injured.

The Africa Cup of Nations, staged every two years, is the biggest recurring sports competition in Africa. Soccer players who earn a living all over Europe, Asia and North America come home to play in what has been called Africa’s World Cup. So it was headline news all over the world this weekend when a bus carrying Togo’s national team to Angola for the big tournament came under attack. An assistant coach, a spokesman and the bus driver for the Togo team were killed when members of an Angolan separatist movement seeking independence for the enclave of Cabinda allegedly sprayed Togo’s team bus with machine gun fire. Several players were injured, including the team’s back-up goal keeper. However, after an initial declaration that the team would go home, the players have apparently voted to stay in the competition.

"In memory of the dead, the national team has decided to play in the African Nations Cup," Thomas Dossevi, a midfielder for French team Nantes told AFP. "We are all heartbroken, it is no longer a party, but we want to show our national colors, our values and that we are men,” he said. “It was a decision taken nearly unanimously by the team which met during the night after having been reassured by the Angolan authorities." Aleixas Romao, a member of the Togo squad who plays midfield for Grenoble in France, told the French sports daily L’Équipe that the players had decided to play in memory of those who were killed.

Togo’s opponent on Monday would be Ghana, one of the favorites in the tournament.  However, UK based web site Soccernet reported that one of Togo’s biggest stars, Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor, was already on the way home to England.

The 16 squads in the tournament qualified through an arduous process tha involved teams from 53 African countries over a two-year period. The attack is not just a blow to Angola, which had hoped to prove it is past a long history of unrest, but also for South Africa, which will host the 2010 World Cup this summer.

Joel Dreyfuss is managing editor of The Root.