Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo
Encyclopedia
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo (born 5 June 1942) is an Equatoguinean
politician who has been President of Equatorial Guinea since 1979. He ousted his uncle, Francisco Macías Nguema
, in an August 1979 military coup and has overseen Equatorial Guinea's emergence as an important oil
producer, beginning in the 1990s. Obiang has also been Chairperson
of the African Union
since January 2011.
, Obiang joined the military during the colonial period, and attended the Military Academy in Zaragoza
, Spain
. He achieved the rank of lieutenant after his uncle, Francisco Macías Nguema
, was elected the country's first president. Under Macías, Obiang held various jobs, including governor of Bioko
and leader of the National Guard
. He was also head of Black Beach Prison, which was notorious for subjecting inmates to severe torture.
. Macías was placed on trial for his activities over the previous decade and sentenced to death. His activities had included the genocide
of the Bubi. He was executed on 29 September 1979 by firing squad.
Obiang declared that the new government would make a fresh start from Macías' brutal and repressive regime. He granted amnesty to political prisoners and ended the previous regime's system of forced labor. However, virtually no mention was made of his own role in the atrocities of his uncle's rule.
He was reelected for a fourth term in 2009 with 97% of the vote, again amid accusations of fraud and intimidation, beating opposition leader Plácido Micó Abogo
.
Although his rule was initially considered more humane than that of his uncle, by most accounts it has become more brutal over the years. Most domestic and international observers consider his regime to be one of the most corrupt, ethnocentric
, oppressive and undemocratic states in the world. Equatorial Guinea is now essentially a single-party state, dominated by Obiang's Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
(PDGE). The constitution, while slightly less authoritarian than its predecessor, still grants Obiang wide powers, including the power to rule by decree. Although opposition parties were legalized in 1992, 99 members of the 100-seat parliament are either members of the PDGE or are aligned with it, and there is little opposition to presidential decisions.
The opposition is barely tolerated; indeed, a 2006 article in Der Spiegel
quoted Obiang as asking, "What right does the opposition have to criticize the actions of a government?" The opposition is severely hampered by the lack of a free press as a vehicle for their views. There are no newspapers, and all of the broadcast media are either owned outright by the government or controlled by its allies.
in 1994; in his farewell address, he publicly named the government's most notorious torturers – including Equatorial Guinea's current Minister of National Security, Manuel Nguema Mba. No new envoy was appointed, and the embassy was closed in 1996, leaving its affairs to be handled by the embassy in neighboring Cameroon
.
Things started to turn around after the 11 September attacks in 2001 on New York and Washington, in the aftermath of which the United States sought a radical re-prioritization in its dealings with key African states. On 25 January 2002, the Institute for Advanced Strategic and Political Studies
, a Jerusalem-based think tank, sponsored a forum on “African Oil: A Priority for U.S. National Security and African Development” at the University Club in Washington, D.C. According to the Institute, "West African oil is what can help stabilize the Middle East, end Muslim terror, and secure a measure of energy security. First, the Africa Initiative is Africa's Turn. And, turning Africa can help turn the kaleidoscope that will reset misalliances and unseat misrule driven by oil and murder. It's a policy". Speaking at the IASPS forum, Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Walter H. Kansteiner
said, "African oil is of national strategic interest to us, and it will increase and become more important as we move forward. It will be people like you who are going to develop that resource, bring that oil home, and try to develop the African countries as you do it."
In a lengthy state visit from March to April 2006, President Obiang sought to reopen the closed embassy, claiming that "the lack of a U.S. diplomatic presence is definitely holding back economic growth." President Obiang was warmly greeted by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
, who called him a "good friend", and Obiang himself was "extremely pleased and hopeful that this relationship will continue to grow in friendship and cooperation." The PR company of Cassidy & Associates
may be partially responsible for this change in the relations between Obiang and the United States government. Since 2004, Cassidy has been employed by the dictator's government at a rate of at least $120,000 a month.
By October 2006, however, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee had raised concerns about the proposal to build the new embassy on land owned by Obiang himself, whom the United Nations Commission on Human Rights
has accused of directly overseeing the torture of opponents of his regime.
In July 2003, state-operated radio declared Obiang "the country's god" and had "all power over men and things." It added that the president was "in permanent contact with the Almighty" and "can decide to kill without anyone calling him to account and without going to hell." He personally made similar comments in 1993. Despite these comments, he still claims that he is a devout Catholic and was invited to the Vatican by John Paul II and again by Benedict XVI. Macías had also proclaimed himself a god.
Obiang has encouraged his cult of personality
by ensuring that public speeches end in well-wishing for himself rather than for the republic. Many important buildings have a presidential lodge, many towns and cities have streets commemorating Obiang's coup against Macías, and many people wear clothes with his face printed on them.
Like his predecessor and other African dictators such as Idi Amin
and Mobutu Sese Seko
, Obiang has assigned to himself several creative titles. Among them are "gentleman of the great island of Bioko, Annobón and Río Muni." He also refers to himself as El Jefe (the boss).
In 2003, Obiang told his citizenry that he felt compelled to take full control of the national treasury in order to prevent civil servants from being tempted to engage in corrupt practices. To avoid this corruption, Obiang deposited more than half a billion dollars into accounts controlled by Obiang and his family at Riggs Bank
in Washington, D.C., leading a U.S. federal court to fine the bank $16 million.
was thwarted. One of those involved was Mark Thatcher
, son of the former UK Prime Minister. In 2008 American journalist Peter Maass
called Obiang Africa's worst dictator, worse than Robert Mugabe
of Zimbabwe
.
With the downfall of Muammar Gaddafi
in August 2011, Obiang became a contender for the longest ruling non-royal head of state (See List of current longest ruling non-royal national leaders) however, using different definitions, Paul Biya
of Cameroon
and Ali Abdullah Saleh
of Yemen
have been heads of state for longer.
His son owns property through his Sweetwater Malibu LLC at 3620 Sweetwater Road, Malibu, CA. This property has the highest-assessed property value in Malibu.
On 10 November 2010, the Supreme Court of France accepted that the complaint filed by Transparency International in France on 2 December 2008, is admissible. The Supreme Court’s decision will allow the appointment of an investigating judge and the opening of a judicial inquiry into claims that the President has used state funds to purchase private property in France.
An article published in Forbes magazine suggested Obiang has gathered roughly $700 million of the country's wealth in US
bank accounts.
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea where the capital Malabo is situated.Annobón is the southernmost island of Equatorial Guinea and is situated just south of the equator. Bioko island is the northernmost point of Equatorial Guinea. Between the two islands and to the...
politician who has been President of Equatorial Guinea since 1979. He ousted his uncle, Francisco Macías Nguema
Francisco Macías Nguema
Francisco Macías Nguema was the first President of Equatorial Guinea, from 1968 until his overthrow in 1979.-Rise to power:...
, in an August 1979 military coup and has overseen Equatorial Guinea's emergence as an important oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
producer, beginning in the 1990s. Obiang has also been Chairperson
Chairperson of the African Union
The African Union Chairman is chosen by the Assembly, which consists of the heads of state of member countries, to serve a 1-year term.- List of Chairmen:...
of the African Union
African Union
The African Union is a union consisting of 54 African states. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established on 9 July 2002, the AU was formed as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity...
since January 2011.
Early life
Born into the Esangui clan in AcoacánAcoacán
Acoacán is a small town in eastern Equatorial Guinea. It is located in Wele-Nzas Province.It is the birth place of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo....
, Obiang joined the military during the colonial period, and attended the Military Academy in Zaragoza
Zaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. He achieved the rank of lieutenant after his uncle, Francisco Macías Nguema
Francisco Macías Nguema
Francisco Macías Nguema was the first President of Equatorial Guinea, from 1968 until his overthrow in 1979.-Rise to power:...
, was elected the country's first president. Under Macías, Obiang held various jobs, including governor of Bioko
Bioko
Bioko is an island 32 km off the west coast of Africa, specifically Cameroon, in the Gulf of Guinea. It is the northernmost part of Equatorial Guinea with a population of 124,000 and an area of . It is volcanic with its highest peak the Pico Basile at .-Geography:Bioko has a total area of...
and leader of the National Guard
Military of Equatorial Guinea
The military of Equatorial Guinea was reorganized in 1979. It consists of approximately 2,500 service members. The army has almost 1,400 soldiers, the police 400 paramilitary men, the navy 200 service members, and the air force about 120 members. There is also a Gendarmerie, but the number of...
. He was also head of Black Beach Prison, which was notorious for subjecting inmates to severe torture.
Presidency
After Macías ordered the murders of several members of his own family—including Obiang's brother—Obiang and others in Macías' inner circle feared the president had gone insane. Obiang overthrew his uncle on 3 August 1979 in a bloody coup d'étatCoup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
. Macías was placed on trial for his activities over the previous decade and sentenced to death. His activities had included the genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
of the Bubi. He was executed on 29 September 1979 by firing squad.
Obiang declared that the new government would make a fresh start from Macías' brutal and repressive regime. He granted amnesty to political prisoners and ended the previous regime's system of forced labor. However, virtually no mention was made of his own role in the atrocities of his uncle's rule.
New constitution
A new constitution was adopted in 1982. At the same time, Obiang was elected to a seven-year term as president; he was the only candidate. He was reelected in 1989, again as the only candidate. After other parties were permitted to organize, he was reelected in 1996 and 2002 with 98 per cent of the vote in elections condemned as fraudulent by international observers. In 2002, for instance, at least one precinct was recorded as giving Obiang 103 percent of the vote.He was reelected for a fourth term in 2009 with 97% of the vote, again amid accusations of fraud and intimidation, beating opposition leader Plácido Micó Abogo
Plácido Micó Abogo
Plácido Micó Abogo is an Equatoguinean politician. He has been the Secretary-General of the Convergence for Social Democracy , an opposition political party in Equatorial Guinea, since 1994....
.
Although his rule was initially considered more humane than that of his uncle, by most accounts it has become more brutal over the years. Most domestic and international observers consider his regime to be one of the most corrupt, ethnocentric
Ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism is the tendency to believe that one's ethnic or cultural group is centrally important, and that all other groups are measured in relation to one's own. The ethnocentric individual will judge other groups relative to his or her own particular ethnic group or culture, especially with...
, oppressive and undemocratic states in the world. Equatorial Guinea is now essentially a single-party state, dominated by Obiang's Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
The Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea is the ruling political party in Equatorial Guinea. It was established by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo as the country's sole legal political organization on 11 October 1987...
(PDGE). The constitution, while slightly less authoritarian than its predecessor, still grants Obiang wide powers, including the power to rule by decree. Although opposition parties were legalized in 1992, 99 members of the 100-seat parliament are either members of the PDGE or are aligned with it, and there is little opposition to presidential decisions.
The opposition is barely tolerated; indeed, a 2006 article in Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
quoted Obiang as asking, "What right does the opposition have to criticize the actions of a government?" The opposition is severely hampered by the lack of a free press as a vehicle for their views. There are no newspapers, and all of the broadcast media are either owned outright by the government or controlled by its allies.
United States
Equatorial Guinea's relations with the United States entered a cooling phase in 1993, when Ambassador John E. Bennett was accused of practicing witchcraft at the graves of 10 British airmen who were killed when their plane crashed there during World War II. Bennett departed after receiving a death threat at the U.S. Embassy in MalaboMalabo
Malabo is the capital of Equatorial Guinea, located on the northern coast of Bioko Island on the rim of a sunken volcano....
in 1994; in his farewell address, he publicly named the government's most notorious torturers – including Equatorial Guinea's current Minister of National Security, Manuel Nguema Mba. No new envoy was appointed, and the embassy was closed in 1996, leaving its affairs to be handled by the embassy in neighboring Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
.
Things started to turn around after the 11 September attacks in 2001 on New York and Washington, in the aftermath of which the United States sought a radical re-prioritization in its dealings with key African states. On 25 January 2002, the Institute for Advanced Strategic and Political Studies
Institute for Advanced Strategic and Political Studies
The Institute for Advanced Strategic and Political Studies is an Israel-based think tank with an affiliated office in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1984 by its president, Professor Robert Loewenberg...
, a Jerusalem-based think tank, sponsored a forum on “African Oil: A Priority for U.S. National Security and African Development” at the University Club in Washington, D.C. According to the Institute, "West African oil is what can help stabilize the Middle East, end Muslim terror, and secure a measure of energy security. First, the Africa Initiative is Africa's Turn. And, turning Africa can help turn the kaleidoscope that will reset misalliances and unseat misrule driven by oil and murder. It's a policy". Speaking at the IASPS forum, Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Walter H. Kansteiner
Walter H. Kansteiner, III
Walter H. Kansteiner, III was the United States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs from June 2001 until November 2003.- Career :...
said, "African oil is of national strategic interest to us, and it will increase and become more important as we move forward. It will be people like you who are going to develop that resource, bring that oil home, and try to develop the African countries as you do it."
In a lengthy state visit from March to April 2006, President Obiang sought to reopen the closed embassy, claiming that "the lack of a U.S. diplomatic presence is definitely holding back economic growth." President Obiang was warmly greeted by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
, who called him a "good friend", and Obiang himself was "extremely pleased and hopeful that this relationship will continue to grow in friendship and cooperation." The PR company of Cassidy & Associates
Cassidy & Associates
Cassidy & Associates is a government-relations firm based in Washington, D.C., known for pioneering the use of congressional earmarks as a method of obtaining grants for university clients. It was founded in 1975 as Schlossberg-Cassidy Associates by Gerald Cassidy and Kenneth Schlossberg, both...
may be partially responsible for this change in the relations between Obiang and the United States government. Since 2004, Cassidy has been employed by the dictator's government at a rate of at least $120,000 a month.
By October 2006, however, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee had raised concerns about the proposal to build the new embassy on land owned by Obiang himself, whom the United Nations Commission on Human Rights
United Nations Commission on Human Rights
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights was a functional commission within the overall framework of the United Nations from 1946 until it was replaced by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2006...
has accused of directly overseeing the torture of opponents of his regime.
Abuses
Abuses under Obiang have included "unlawful killings by security forces; government-sanctioned kidnappings; systematic torture of prisoners and detainees by security forces; life threatening conditions in prisons and detention facilities; impunity; arbitrary arrest, detention, and incommunicado detention."In July 2003, state-operated radio declared Obiang "the country's god" and had "all power over men and things." It added that the president was "in permanent contact with the Almighty" and "can decide to kill without anyone calling him to account and without going to hell." He personally made similar comments in 1993. Despite these comments, he still claims that he is a devout Catholic and was invited to the Vatican by John Paul II and again by Benedict XVI. Macías had also proclaimed himself a god.
Obiang has encouraged his cult of personality
Cult of personality
A cult of personality arises when an individual uses mass media, propaganda, or other methods, to create an idealized and heroic public image, often through unquestioning flattery and praise. Cults of personality are usually associated with dictatorships...
by ensuring that public speeches end in well-wishing for himself rather than for the republic. Many important buildings have a presidential lodge, many towns and cities have streets commemorating Obiang's coup against Macías, and many people wear clothes with his face printed on them.
Like his predecessor and other African dictators such as Idi Amin
Idi Amin
Idi Amin Dada was a military leader and President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. Amin joined the British colonial regiment, the King's African Rifles in 1946. Eventually he held the rank of Major General in the post-colonial Ugandan Army and became its Commander before seizing power in the military...
and Mobutu Sese Seko
Mobutu Sese Seko
Mobutu Sese Seko Nkuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga , commonly known as Mobutu or Mobutu Sese Seko , born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu, was the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1965 to 1997...
, Obiang has assigned to himself several creative titles. Among them are "gentleman of the great island of Bioko, Annobón and Río Muni." He also refers to himself as El Jefe (the boss).
Wealth
Forbes magazine has said that he is one of the wealthiest heads of state, with a net worth of US$600 million. Official sources have complained that Forbes is wrongly counting state property as personal property.In 2003, Obiang told his citizenry that he felt compelled to take full control of the national treasury in order to prevent civil servants from being tempted to engage in corrupt practices. To avoid this corruption, Obiang deposited more than half a billion dollars into accounts controlled by Obiang and his family at Riggs Bank
Riggs Bank
Riggs Bank was a Washington, D.C.-based commercial bank with branches located in the surrounding metropolitan area and offices around the world. For most of its history, it was the largest bank in the nation's capital. Riggs had been controlled by the Albritton family since the 1980s, but they lost...
in Washington, D.C., leading a U.S. federal court to fine the bank $16 million.
Coups
In 2004 an attempt to depose Obiang2004 Equatorial Guinea coup d'état attempt
The 2004 Equatorial Guinea coup d'état attempt, also known as the Wonga coup, was an alleged coup attempt against the government of Equatorial Guinea in order to replace President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo with exiled opposition politician Severo Moto, carried out by mercenaries and organised...
was thwarted. One of those involved was Mark Thatcher
Mark Thatcher
Sir Mark Thatcher, 2nd Baronet is the son of Sir Denis Thatcher and Baroness Thatcher, the former British Prime Minister, and twin brother of Carol Thatcher...
, son of the former UK Prime Minister. In 2008 American journalist Peter Maass
Peter Maass
Peter Maass is an American journalist and author. He was born in 1960 in Los Angeles, California and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley. He has worked for the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the New York Times Magazine. He has mainly covered...
called Obiang Africa's worst dictator, worse than Robert Mugabe
Robert Mugabe
Robert Gabriel Mugabe is the President of Zimbabwe. As one of the leaders of the liberation movement against white-minority rule, he was elected into power in 1980...
of Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
.
With the downfall of Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar Gaddafi or "September 1942" 20 October 2011), commonly known as Muammar Gaddafi or Colonel Gaddafi, was the official ruler of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then the "Brother Leader" of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011.He seized power in a...
in August 2011, Obiang became a contender for the longest ruling non-royal head of state (See List of current longest ruling non-royal national leaders) however, using different definitions, Paul Biya
Paul Biya
Paul Biya is a Cameroonian politician who has been the President of Cameroon since 6 November 1982. A native of Cameroon's south, Biya rose rapidly as a bureaucrat under President Ahmadou Ahidjo in the 1960s, serving as Secretary-General of the Presidency from 1968 to 1975 and then as Prime...
of Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
and Ali Abdullah Saleh
Ali Abdullah Saleh
Field Marshal Ali Abdullah Saleh is the first President of the Republic of Yemen. Saleh previously served as President of the Yemen Arab Republic from 1978 until 1990, at which time he assumed the office of chairman of the Presidential Council of a post-unification Yemen. He is the...
of Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
have been heads of state for longer.
Finances
Obiang had a close relationship with Washington, D.C.-based Riggs Bank. He is said to have been welcomed by top Riggs officials, who held a luncheon in his honor. (Publicity regarding this relationship would later contribute to the downfall of Riggs.)His son owns property through his Sweetwater Malibu LLC at 3620 Sweetwater Road, Malibu, CA. This property has the highest-assessed property value in Malibu.
On 10 November 2010, the Supreme Court of France accepted that the complaint filed by Transparency International in France on 2 December 2008, is admissible. The Supreme Court’s decision will allow the appointment of an investigating judge and the opening of a judicial inquiry into claims that the President has used state funds to purchase private property in France.
An article published in Forbes magazine suggested Obiang has gathered roughly $700 million of the country's wealth in US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
bank accounts.
External links
- President Obiang's address to the 63rd session of the United Nations General Assembly, 25 September 2008
- Honorary Consul for Equatorial Guinea
- Who's Africa's Worst Dictator? Hint: It's probably not Robert Mugabe Slate.com
- "Torture and Poverty in Equatorial Guinea", Alexander Smoltczyk, Der SpiegelDer SpiegelDer Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
, 28 August 2006 - Amidst Poverty, Equatorial Guinea Builds Lavish City to Host African Union — video report by Democracy Now!Democracy Now!Democracy Now! and its staff have received several journalism awards, including the Gracie Award from American Women in Radio & Television; the George Polk Award for its 1998 radio documentary Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship, on the Chevron Corporation and the deaths of...