The United
States Department of Justice filed an asset
forfeiture claim against property worth over $70
million owned by Teodorin Nguema Obiang, the 41
year-old first son of Equatorial Guinea’s
President.
While most of Equatorial Guinea's citizens live in abject
poverty, Teodorin Nguema Obiang, the 41 year-old son of the president,
apparently spends millions on art, homes and a
jet.
There
was a time when the Sullivan Foundation´s work
for a better Africa commanded enormous respect
in Washington. In part, this was due to its
namesake, iconic civil rights leader Rev. Leon
H. Sullivan. Corporate codes of conduct that
Sullivan developed, called the ”Sullivan
principles,” were used by America´s largest
corporations for decades.
The foundation´s annual summit also regularly
drew world leaders to Africa—from George W. Bush
and Bill Clinton to General Colin Powell and
Hillary Clinton. Until 2010, President Clinton
was listed as an honorary member of the
foundation´s board.[MORE: Politicians Bow Out of
Summit Hosted by Africa´s Longest Serving
Dictator]
Sometime in the past few months, the Sullivan
Foundation quite suddenly—and quietly—closed its
doors. And it isn´t saying why.
The foundation´s CEO and president (and daughter
of Rev. Sullivan) Hope Masters, who once had an
active presence for the foundation on the web,
has now gone silent online. The Sullivan
Foundation´s phone number has been disconnected.
A visit to the foundation´s former offices shows
it now exclusively houses GoodWorks
International, an Africa-focused global firm run
by Hope´s husband Carlton Masters. Their
daughter Vanessa Masters, who answered the phone
at GoodWorks, says she isn´t ”particularly
interested” in talking about why it closed. And
the organization´s web site and Twitter accounts
don´t appear to have been updated since August.
Washington, DC) – The arbitrary arrest and
detention of a former business associate of the
son of
Equatorial Guinea’s
president demonstrates the government’s
continued violation of basic rights, EG Justice
and Human Rights Watch said today. The arrest
came just days before Equatorial Guinea is to
host an event designed to improve its global
image.
Florentino Manguire Eneme Ovina was detained on
August 11, 2012, in the city of Bata, and
transferred on August 13 to the central police
station in Malabo, the capital, according to
sources close to him. No warrant was issued
authorizing his arrest, nor was he brought
before a judge within the 72-hour period
required under national law, the sources said..
Florentino Manguire’s arrest and continued
detention are further examples of the lack of
rule of law in Equatorial Guinea. Manguire has
been repeatedly jailed without formal charges,
raising concerns that he is being harassed for
perceived disloyalty to President Obiang’s son,
not for any crime.
The
Sullivan Foundation is targeting African
Americans in the diaspora in their attempt to
legitimize the Obiang regime.
The response from Leon H. Sullivan Foundation
CEO Hope Sullivan Masters to the criticisms
surrounding the groups’ summit is nothing more
than a desperate attempt to defend the
indefensible: the aiding and abetting of one of
Africa’s worst dictators.
Hope Sullivan Masters, daughter of the late Leon
H. Sullivan, is under intense international
criticism for the decision to host the Sullivan
Foundation’s 9th Biennial Africa Rising Summit
in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. The four-day
summit will be hosted by none other than
President Teodoro Obiang, who has been in power
since 1979, and whose plunder of Equatorial
Guinea’s oil revenues has enriched him and his
family to the tune $600 million. Numerous
African American VIPs from the worlds of
politics, business, media, and entertainment are
planning to attend.
Sullivan’s response posted Monday evening lashed
at out her critics: journalists, bloggers, and
human rights organizations. She calls the
Foundation’s detractors “misinformed individuals
who are clearly hell-bent on throwing rocks at
others.” She also questions their
professionalism and integrity: these journalists
and human rights organizations make claims
“without fact checking…of their outrageous
claims of ongoing abuse and corruption [in
Equatorial Guinea]”.
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo´s PR campaign
begins on 20 August, when he welcomes 4,000
delegates, including world leaders, Hollywood
actors, Emmy-winning pop stars, famous athletes,
and a cross-section of US television celebrities,
to the city of Malabo
He is the dictator’s dictator: a spectacular
kleptocrat who seized power in a coup and has
presided over Equatorial Guinea for more than
three decades, imprisoning political opponents,
censoring hostile media coverage and rigging
Presidential elections, which he has
occasionally won with more than 95 per cent of
the vote.
Now Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, whose
appetite for the proceeds of thuggish corruption
saw him described by the US authorities as the
head of “an ongoing family criminal conspiracy,”
is attempting to perform bizarre career volte
face. Despite his status as Africa’s longest-serving
dictator, he will this month seek to rebrand
himself on the international stage - as a
principled advocate for human rights.
Obi’s
Nightmare (La
Pesadilla de Obi)
is about Teodoro
“Obi” Obiang,
real life
President of the
resource-rich
West-Central
African country
of Equatorial
Guinea. In the
graphic novel,
artist Ramon
Esono (also
known as Jamón y
Queso) and his
collaborators
ask what would
be the worst
nightmare of the
rich, powerful,
and corrupt
leader of a poor,
struggling
African
population?
Becoming an
ordinary citizen
of his own
country, of
course! Hilarity
and tragedy
ensues as Obi
navigates the
education,
health, and
prison systems
he created in
Equatorial
Guinea.The Spanish-language
text for
Obi’s Nightmare
is 50% complete
and its artists
are waiting for
funds to
purchase the
material
necessary to
illustrate the
book. We won’t
be able to
publish the book
without your
support, so
please pledge
generously and
promote our
project to your
friends and
colleagues.
Graphic novels
are a powerful
medium for
story-telling
and satire. They
allow us to
penetrate into
spaces that
conventional
media, radio,
and TV do not
reach,
especially in
repressive
societies.
Through the
fictional
perspective of
the comic, Jamón
y Queso captures
how unreal and
absurd life in
Equatorial
Guinea can be
For more than a
decade, the
dictator of
Equatorial
Guinea and his
family members
have spent
enormous sums of
money in the
United States on
real estate and
extravagant
purchases at
stores like
Dolce & Gabanna
and Louis
Vuitton. In late
October, the
American
government
finally acted to
halt the
collective
shopping spree
of President
Teodoro Obiang
Nguema’s inner
circle when it
filed a
civil asset
forfeiture
complaint seeking
to take
possession of
tens of millions
of dollars in
assets owned by
his son and heir
apparent.The
complaint, filed
by the Justice
Department and
U.S.
Immigrations and
Customs
Enforcement (ICE),
said that the
son, Teodorin,
who is the
country’s
minister of
forestry, had
used money
laundered into
the United
States to buy a
$30 million
estate in
Malibu, a
private plane
and assorted
Michael Jackson
memorabilia,
including a
“white crystal
covered ‘Bad
Tour’ glove.”“Grand
corruption isn’t
just a local
problem, it’s an
international
one, and
oftentimes
involves
multiple
jurisdictions,”
said Mark Vlasic,
a law professor
at Georgetown
University, who
previously
served as the
head of
operations of
the World Bank’s
Stolen Asset
Recovery
Initiative.“Corrupt
officials don’t
use PayPal
accounts to move
large sums of
money,” Vlasic
said. “They need
people to assist
them, and their
facilitators
should also be
held accountable
for any crimes
they may have
committed.”
The president of
Equatorial Guinea should take concrete steps to
respect human rights, address corruption, and
improve transparency, Global Witness, Human
Rights Watch, Open Society Foundations, and
Oxfam America said today. On June 15, the four
groups will meet with President Teodoro Obiang
Nguema Mbasogo in Washington, DC, to press for
meaningful reforms.Corruption, poverty, and a
very poor human rights record are all hallmarks
of today’s
Equatorial Guinea.Vast
oil revenues fund
lavish lifestyles for the small elite
surrounding the president, while most of the
country’s people are denied access to basic
economic and social rights, and so are trapped
in poverty. President Obiang exercises
extensive control over
all branches of government. Civil society groups
are not permitted to operate freely and
independently, and freedom of speech and the
press are routinely
curtailed.There
have been numerous foreign investigations into
high-level corruption tied to Equatorial
Guinea’s natural resource wealth. This week, the
US Department of Justice
amended its
October 2011 legal filing seeking to
seize assets of
Obiang’s eldest son, Teodoro Nguema Obiang
Mangue, known as Teodorín, alleging that he had
obtained hundreds of millions of dollars through
corruption. Other corruption and money-laundering
investigations implicating Teodorín or other
officials are ongoing in
France and
Spain.
Various members of the
Washington diplomatic
elite gathered in the
D.C. suburbs last night
to honor and celebrate
Teodoro Obiang Nguema
Mbasogo, the
president of Equitorial
Guinea, whose American
real estate empire,
allegedly financed
through corruption and
oppression, is now being
investigated by the U.S.
Justice Department.
"Ambassador Carlton
Masters and Hope
Masters Cordially
invite you to join us
along with His
Excellency Teodoro
Obiang Mbasago,
Presidential Host of the
Ninth Leon H. Sullivan
Summit FOR Cocktails,
Dinner and Dancing,"
read the invitation to a
reception at the Masters
residence in Chevy Chase
Thursday night. Masters,
who
was the first
special envoy of the
Economic Community of
West African States (ECOWAS)
on African Diasporan
Relations, is now the
president and CEO of
Goodworks International,
a lobbying firm that
brings together mostly
energy companies and
African governments. He
also
started a
company with former
Nigerian president
Olusegun Obasanjo.
Also late
last year, the Justice
Department and
Immigrations and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) filed
a
civil
asset forfeiture
complaint
against Obiang's son
Teodorin, the country's
minister of forestry.
The U.S. government is
going after more than
$70 million of
Teodorin's assets
allegedly laundered in
the United States,
including a Malibu
mansion, a rare Ferrari,
a
$38.5
million Gulfstream G-V
jet,
and roughly
$1.1
million worth of Michael
Jackson memorabilia.
Background In March, when Equatorial Guinea’s report under
the UN Universal Periodic Review was adopted by
the UN Human Rights Council, the government
rejected all recommendations related to the
abolition of the death penalty and ratification
of the Rome Statute of the International
Criminal Court.
Also in March, the Extractive Industries
Transparency Initiative (EITI), an international
voluntary initiative seeking to promote
transparency in oil, gas and mining, rejected
Equatorial Guinea’s candidacy. The country had
failed to comply with requirements, including
participation in the EITI process by independent
civil society groups and submission of an oil
revenue report.
In June, President Obiang publicly pledged to
improve human rights, expand press freedom,
ensure judicial credibility and introduce
transparency and accountability in the oil
industry. None of these pledges was implemented
by the end of the year. In July, President
Obiang decreed Portuguese as the country’s third
official language to support its bid for full
membership of the Community of Portuguese
Speaking Countries (CPLP), but the CPLP
postponed making a decision. In August, the UN
Working Group on the use of mercenaries visited
the country at the invitation of the government.
However, they were not allowed to visit prisons.
in October, UNESCO suspended indefinitely the
awarding of the UNESCO-Obiang international
prize for the Study of Life Sciences. The award
had been postponed in March and in June
following worldwide opposition by NGOs and
individuals.
Johannesburg (South Africa) - Over the past year, the
world has watched with great interest as the Arab Spring
has dissolved decades of repression. Citizens weary of
injustice have stood up and demanded control of their
destinies. I wish that oppressed people everywhere in
Africa could benefit from the dramatic changes we are
witnessing in North Africa.
The people of Equatorial Guinea, for instance, an oil-rich
country home to the continent´s
longest-ruling leader,
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, have endured decades of
repression, and many remain mired in poverty despite the
country´s considerable natural resource wealth. Torture,
extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, and
harassment of journalists and civil society groups have
been well documented by the United Nations and other
sources.
Obiang
Nguema has survived several coup attempts
The execution of four men in
Equatorial Guinea for involvement in an
attack on the presidential palace last year
has been condemned by a rights group.Amnesty
International says the men, former military
and government officials, were put to death
within an hour of being sentenced.They were
convicted by an army tribunal on Saturday,
with no chance of appeal.Amnesty says the
men were living in exile in Benin at the
time of the attempted presidential
assassination.President Teodoro Obiang
Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich nation
since 1979 after toppling his uncle in a
coup, has survived several coup attempts.The
most infamous was in 2004, involving former
British mercenary Simon Mann, who was
pardoned by Equatorial Guinea's leader last
year.
Equatorial
Guinea´s government on Tuesday defended the
execution of four alleged coup plotters just
an hour after they were condemned in a case
that Amnesty International called a
”pretense of justice.”The main opposition
coalition described the executions as
”political assassinations.”
The government of the oil-rich but
impoverished Central African nation said in
a statement that the former military and
government officials were given a fair trial
in open court. Two colonels defended them
before a military tribunal, the government
said on its website.
The four were convicted Saturday of
terrorism, high treason, attempting to
assassinate the head of state and to
overthrow the government.
Others tried in the plot received jail
sentences ranging from one to 20 years.
Amnesty International said the four men were
abducted by Guinean security forces in
January from neighboring Benin, where they
had been living in exile for years,
including during the Feb. 11, 2009 attack
for which they were convicted.
Africa抯
biodiversity holds an ernomous potential of
transforming the continent抯 agricultural and
industrial systems to contribute to economic
growth and poverty reduction. The unique
species of plants and animals as well as
ecosystems constitute the continent抯 natural
wealth. However, this diversity is
underutilized and is being lost at alarming
rates. Conserving and promoting sustainable
use of biodiversity is one of the challenges
that African countries have committed
themselves to addressing.
The
longtime leader of Equatorial Guinea
pledged Monday to make sweeping reforms
in transparency and human rights in the
country he has ruled for three decades.
But an international rights group called
it empty posturing from a corrupt leader
intent on attracting investors.
Teodoro Obiang Nguema told a meeting of
investors and business leaders in
Cape Town that
his five-point plan will dramatically change
conditions in the West African country,
which is regularly criticized for its
corruption, poor human rights record and
grinding poverty despite its tremendous oil
wealth.Obiang said the 10-year plan includes
investing “substantial” oil revenues in
public projects such as schools, hospitals
and infrastructure. He said he also will
invite the African Union to review and
suggest reforms for the legal system and
will bring in the Red Cross to assess the
human rights situation.He said he hopes the plan will “invite
investors from across the globe to consider
the exciting possibilities with us.” He
spoke in Spanish while reading from a
prepared statement.
The Ministry of
Foreign Affairs feels constrained,
following the article on the above
subject matter which was published in
the Punch of Monday 14 June, 2010
edition, to issue this rejoinder, to
correct the facts which have been
largely misrepresented in the news
report.
It is important to state that contrary
to the charges of indifference levelled
against officials in the Ministry and in
the Mission in Malabo – Equatorial
Guinea – over the plight of our
citizens,
the Nigerian government has been fully
seized with the matter since the news
first broke in February, 2009. Aside
from the visit by the then Foreign
Minister,Ojo Maduekwe, CFR, to Malabo
on 26th February, 2009, as Special Envoy
of President Umaru Musa Yar‘Adua; the
follow-up visit of the then Hon.
Minister of State II for Foreign Affairs,
Ambassador Bagudu Hirse, on the 7th of
August, 2009; and the Joint Commission
meetings in Abuja, from August 31-01
Septemeber, 2009, provided opportunities
for fruitful consultations with the
Equatorial Guinean authorities, which
finally led to the release of many
Nigerians from Equatorial Guinean
prisons, including the release of 55
crewmen of seven (7) canoes that were
confiscated by the Guinean authorities.
“Some of us are in exile today because the government of Teodoro Obiang
Nguema unjustly persecuted, arbitrarily detained, threatened directly or
indirectly, or denied us entry into Equatorial Guinea. Others remain in exile
because of pending judgments against us, entered during our absence from
Equatorial Guinea, for expressing our political views or denouncing the
government’s human rights record. In short, under the current regime there are
no freedoms of expression, association, or assembly in Equatorial Guinea.”They argue that, in this context, the prize amounts to international
endorsement of Obiang’s systematic political repression, his deprivation of the
most basic needs of his people, and his blatant use of public funds for personal
gain. They believe the funds should be used instead “for the purchase of books,
benches, and other such rudimentary educational materials” for students in
Equatorial Guinea, in the hopes that the country may one day produce scientists
and other professionals capable of becoming future recipients of international
prizes. Their move has garnered international attention, receiving support
from over 35 nongovernmental organizations and from hundreds of scientists,
journalists, scholars, and others
asking UNESCO to cancel the prize.
2009 Key
Developments: Spanish authorities
launched an investigation into
alleged money laundering by
Equatorial Guinea’s government in
January 2009, and in February
unidentified gunmen attacked the
presidential palace, prompting the
authorities to deny speculation that
the incident was a coup attempt.
President Teodoro Obiang Nguema
Mbasogo, the longest-serving ruler
in sub-Saharan Africa, easily won a
new term in the November
presidential election, which was
widely regarded as rigged.
Political Rights:Equatorial
Guinea is not an electoral
democracy and has never held
credible elections. President Obiang
dominates the political system. The
100 members of the unicameral House
of People’s Representatives wield
little power, and 99 seats belong to
the ruling pro-presidential
coalition. The activities of the few
opposition parties are closely
monitored by the government. Obiang
denies that a 2009 attack on the
presidential palace was a coup
attempt, although several opposition
members were subsequently arrested.
Equatorial Guinea is considered one
of the most corrupt countries in the
world, and Obiang and members of his
inner circle continue to amass huge
personal profits from the country’s
oil windfall.
Civil Liberties: Although the
constitution guarantees press
freedom,
The
Board of the
Extractive
Industries
Transparency
Initiative, the
international
standard for
improved
transparency in
countries’
natural resource
sector, met in
Berlin 15-16
April. The Board
discussed the
request of 17 of
the 32 countries
currently
implementing the
EITI to extend
their deadline
for completing
EITI Validation.
In addition, Sao
Tome and
Principe had
applied to
voluntarily
suspend their
EITI Candidate
status.The
EITI Board has
considered these
applications on
a case by case
basis in
accordance with
the EITI rules.
An extension of
the Validation
deadline is
granted only if
the country
demonstrates
that exceptional
and
unforeseeable
circumstances
outside the
country’s
control. Having
considered the
merits of each
applications,
the Board agreed
to grant
extensions to 16
countries[1].
It agreed new
deadlines in
each case. The
Board did not
approve the
request for an
extension of the
deadline from
Equatorial
Guinea.
Sao Tome
and Principe’s
application for
a voluntary
suspension was
not approved. As
a consequence of
these decisions,
these countries
are no longer
considered
implementing (EITI
Candidate)
countries. Both
countries are
welcome to
reapply to
become EITI
candidate
countries once
the barriers to
effective
implementation
have been
addressed.The
EITI Chairman,
Peter Eigen,
made the
following
comment:
Permanent
Subcommittee on Investigations
The Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations has
scheduled a hearing, ”Keeping Foreign Corruption Out of
the United States: Four Case Histories,” on Thursday,
February 4, 2010, at 9:30 a.m., in Room 342 of the
Dirksen Senate Office Building.
The Subcommittee hearing will examine how some
politically powerful foreign officials, their relatives,
or close associates – referred to in international
agreements as “Politically Exposed Persons” or PEPs –
have used the services of U.S. professionals and U.S.
financial institutions to bring millions of dollars in
suspect funds into the United States to advance their
interests. Four case histories will illustrate how some
PEPs have used U.S. lawyers, realtors, escrow agents,
lobbyists, bankers, and others to circumvent U.S.
anti-money laundering and anti-corruption safeguards. It
will also look at how some U.S. professionals have
actively helped PEPs avoid bank scrutiny or facilitated
suspect transactions with no questions asked.
Conditions in
Equatorial Guinea cast serious doubt about the
credibility of the forthcoming presidential
election,
Human Rights Watch
said
today.
President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who has
ruled the oil-rich West African country since
seizing power in a coup in 1979, is widely
expected to easily win the presidential vote
scheduled for November 29, 2009.
"President Obiang
claims that he's committed to the rule of law,"
said Arvind Ganesan, director of the Business
and Human Rights Program at Human Rights Watch.
"But his actions time and again are those of a
dictator determined to hang onto power and
control of the country's oil money."
There are
indications that visas might be
restricted again this year. In mid-November,
while speaking at an oil and gas
conference in London, the vice minister
of mines, industry and energy announced
that the government was instituting a
new visa regime "to defend Equatorial
Guinea" from "people without good
intentions.
See full report
TO
SUCCEED IN YOUR PROJECT AND/OR ENTERPRISE
IN EQUATORIAL GUINEA, AFRICA & MADAGASCAR
WELCOME TO
MADESTA
INTERNATIONAL
A
COMPLETE ASSISTANCE
Equatorial Guinea, a
geographical speck on the landscape of Africa,
is surely one of the sad stories of the
continent. The late President Masie Nguema
Biyogo, the uncle of the present dictator,
remains one of the worst tyrants ever produced
by Africa. His 11-year reign in Equatorial
Guinea was characterized by brutal massacres and
horrifying atrocities against his
compatriots.For instance, about 150 alleged coup
plotters were executed at the national stadium
on December 25, 1975 with the killings
accompanied by the sound of a band playing Mary
Hopkin's tune, **Those Were The Days**! An
estimated 7,000 Europeans were said to have
emigrated from a country of about 300,000
population, while about 45,000 Nigerians were
evacuated in 1976. In all, between September
1968 when Nguema Biyogo was inaugurated as
president and August 1979 when he was overthrown,
an estimated 80,000 citizens were reported to
have been killed by the regime with about one-fourth
of that number fleeing into exile.
So confident is
President Teodoro Obiang Nguema of the
outcome of Equatorial Guinea's election on
Sunday that he expects to win by the same
margin as in 2002 - with 97.1 percent of the
vote, reports Le Pays of Ouagadougou.
The
newspaper also reports that Obiang
Nguema, who came to power in a coup
in 1979, could very possibly achieve
his objective, since the only
opposition leader in the country's
parliament, Plácido Micó Abogo, is
not strong enough to provide a real
challenge to the ruling
party.Moreover, says the paper, all
state power is concerntrated in the
hands of the president and his ,
associates who will do
everything to make sure he gets re-elected.
EQUATORIAL GUINEA has donated a
consignment of 57 tonnes of drugs and water treatment
chemicals to Zimbabwe to assist in the fight against
cholera.Equatorial Guinea Deputy Foreign Minister Mr
Jose Esono Micha handed the first 40 tonnes
of the consignment to Health and Child
Welfare Deputy Minister Dr Douglas
Mombeshora and the ministry's permanent
secretary, Dr Gerald Gwinji, at Harare
International Airport yesterday.Mr Micha --
who earlier paid a courtesy call on
President Mugabe at Zimbabwe House and
delivered a special
message from President
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo -- flew into
Harare with the consignment yesterday. He said
after reports that Zimbabwe had been hit by a
cholera outbreak, Equatorial Guinea felt obliged
to assist Harare as a friend
Nigeria 's Foreign Affairs Minister
Ojo Maduekwe during the week visited President Theodore
Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea over the recent attack on
the presidential palace in Malabo.
Maritime
transactions between Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea have
reportedly been halted since Tuesday, February 17,
following attacks by unidentified armed men at President
Obiang Nguema's Presidential lodge in the capital city
of Malabo.
There
seems to be no end in sight to the poor
organization, which has characterised the
sixth edition of the African Women
Championship (AWC) currently going on in two
centers in Equatorial Guinea.Ever
since the commencement of the championship
last Saturday, there have been complaints of
poor organisation from players and officials
of the visiting teams, especially in the
areas of transportation, feeding and
accreditation.
All
journalists covering the championship have equally been
subjected to various degrees of hardship, as they were
denied such services as accreditation, the use of media
center, mixed zone and press tribune.
The Health
Ministry became aware of Sheba's extensive ties with
hospitals abroad years after they had begun, according
to documents, letters and memorandums shown to Haaretz.
On December 10, 2007, the deputy director general of
Sheba Medical Center, Dr. Yitzhak Zeidis, detailed the
hospital's activities abroad to Prof. Israeli. According
to Zeidis, the hospital had then ceased training doctors
and nurses for the hospital in Equatorial Guinea.
However, Zeidis told Israeli that Sheba was still
involved in training medical staff and providing
expertise on building hospitals and laboratories to
several countries such as Kazakhstan, the Ivory Coast,
Russia and China. In addition, he said that Sheba
medical staff was in talks regarding providing expertise
to hospitals in Georgia, Ukraine, Hungary, China and
India.
The
US Navy has trained Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea Navy and
Air Force Officers in Search and Rescue Operations. The
exercise is to help Cameroon's Air Force and Navy
officers ability to jointly conduct search and rescue
operations while working with a US Navy P-3 Orion
maritime surveillance aircraft. Search and
Rescue (SAR) classes were given to Cameroon Navy and Air
Force officers at Douala Air Force Base. The SAR mission
flew over
Cameroon waters with the
country’s Air Force and Navy riders on board the P-3.At
the end of the exercise, the armed forces of Cameroon
honed their ability to locate a vessel in distress and
rescue survivors utilising a combination of search
aircraft, rescue vessels and their newly fielded
Automatic Identification System (AIS).
I am deeply
concerned that aforementioned statements and actions by you and high
ranking administration officials directly contradict the policy you
articulated in your second inaugural address when you said that the
United States will encourage reform in other governments by making
clear that success in our relation "will require the decent
treatment of their own people."
The
government of Equatorial Guinea has an abysmal track
record in the area of human rights, democracy and
transparency. According to this year's Country Reports
on Human Rights, "(t)he government's human rights record
remained poor, and the government continues to commit or
condone serious abuses," including torture by
the
security forces, abridgement of citizens' right to
change their government, government and judicial
corruption, and severe restrictions on freedom of the
press.
President Obiang, who took over Equatorial Guinea in a
coup in 1979, has never stood for free and fair
elections. The State Department found that "(t)he 2002
presidential election was marred by extensive fraud and
intimidation," and "the international community widely
criticized the 2004 parliamentary elections as seriously
flawed."
