Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 263622 224649443 2008-07-09T20:26:48Z Therequiembellishere 1522828 Adding Ignacio Milam Tang {{Refimprove|date=July 2008}} {{Infobox President | name = Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo | image = President Obiang.jpg | order = [[President of Equatorial Guinea]] | primeminister = [[Cristino Seriche Bioko]]<br>[[Silvestre Siale Bileka]]<br>[[Ángel Serafín Seriche Dougan]]<br>[[Cándido Muatetema Rivas]]<br>[[Miguel Abia Biteo Boricó]]<br>[[Ricardo Mangue Obama Nfubea]]<br>[[Ignacio Milam Tang]] | term_start = [[03 August]] [[1979]] | term_end = | predecessor = [[Francisco Macías Nguema]] | successor = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1942|06|05|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Acoacán]], [[Spanish Guinea]] | spouse = Constancia Mangue de Obiang | party = [[Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea|PDGE]] }} '''Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo''' (born [[June 5]], [[1942]]) has been the President of [[Equatorial Guinea]] since 1979. Born into the Esangui clan in [[Acoacán]], Obiang joined the military during the colonial period, and attended the [[General Military Academy of Zaragoza| Military Academy]] in [[Zaragoza]], [[Spain]]. He achieved the rank of lieutenant upon the election of [[Francisco Macías Nguema]]. == Under Macías == Obiang was shuffled through various jobs, including governor of [[Bioko]], head of the infamous [[Black Beach Prison]], and leader of the [[Military of Equatorial Guinea|National Guard]]. == Presidency == He deposed Francisco Macias on [[August 3]], [[1979]] in a bloody [[coup d'état]]. Macias was executed a few weeks later on 29 September. Obiang declared that the new government would make a fresh start from the repressive measures taken by Macias' administration. He inherited a country with an empty treasury and a population that had dropped to a third of its 1968 level, when about 50% of the former 1.2 million inhabitants moved either to Spain or to neighboring African countries. He formally assumed presidency in October [[1979]]. A new constitution was adopted in [[1982]]; at the same time, Obiang was elected to a seven-year term as president. He was reelected in [[1989]] as the only candidate. After other parties were permitted to organize, he was reelected in 1996 and 2002 in elections condemned as fraudulent by international observers. Obiang's regime retained clear [[authoritarian]] characteristics even after other parties were legalized in [[1991]]. 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). In 2008 American journalist [[Peter Maass]] called Obiang Africa's worst dictator, worse than [[Robert Mugabe]] of [[Zimbabwe]].<ref name="Maass in Slate">{{cite news|last=Maass|first=Peter|authorlink=Peter Maass|title=Who's Africa's Worst Dictator?|url=http://www.slate.com/id/2193870/|publisher=[[The Washington Post Company]]|work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]|date=2008-06-24|accessdate=2008-06-30|quote=But Mugabe may not be Africa's worst. That prize arguably goes to Teodoro Obiang, the ruler of Equatorial Guinea}}</ref> The constitution grants Obiang wide powers, including the power to rule by decree. Nonetheless, Obiang has far less power than Macias, and for the most part his rule has been considerably milder. Notably, there have been none of the atrocities that characterized the Macías era. All but one member of the 100-seat national parliament belong to the PDGE or are aligned with it. The opposition is severely hampered by the lack of a free press as a vehicle for their views. Around 90% of all opposition politicians live in exile, 550 anti-Obiang activists have been jailed unfairly, and several killed since 1979. In July 2003, state-operated radio declared Obiang to be a [[god]] who is "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 states 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.<ref>{{cite news|title=Equatorial Guinea's 'God'|accessdate=2007-11-01|publisher=[[BBC]]|date=2003-07-26|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3098007.stm}}</ref> Obiang has encouraged his [[cult of personality]] by ensuring that public speeches end in well-wishing for himself rather than for well-wishing for the republic. Many important buildings have a presidential lodge, many towns and cities have streets commemorating Obiang's coup against Macías as well as there being a penchant among the population to 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 similar fashion to Idi Amin, Obiang has purportedly allowed rumors that he is a [[cannibal]] to circulate.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_1496535,00.html|title=Obiang 'will eat my testicles'|publisher=News24|accessdate=2007-11-01|date=2004-03-11}}</ref> [[Cannibalism]] had been practiced for centuries among the [[Fang]] people of Central and West Africa, of which Obiang is a descendant. Many testimonies of former residents of Equatorial Guinea, before and during the civil unrest, indicate that cannibalism had been applied as a tool of warfare. President Obiang is the Vice President of the [[International Parliament for Safety and Peace]] (see [http://www.international-parliament.net/seite42.htm]). [[Forbes magazine|''Forbes'' magazine]] has said that he is one of the [[List of heads of government and state by net worth|wealthiest heads of state]], with a net worth of 600 million dollars.<ref>{{citation|publication=Forbes|url=http://www.forbes.com/billionaires/2006/05/04/rich-kings-dictators_cz_lk_0504royals.html |title=Fortunes Of Kings, Queens And Dictators|date=2006-05-5}} and [http://www.forbes.com/2006/05/03/cz_forbes_0522_royals_slide_8.html?thisSpeed=35000?forwardName=cz_forbes_0522_royals_slide part of a slideshow]</ref> Official sources have complained that Forbes is wrongly counting state property as personal property.{{Who|date=August 2007}} 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|a bank]] in Washington, D.C., leading a U.S. federal court to fine the bank $16 million.<ref>{{cite news|author=[[Ken Silverstein]]|archiveurl=http://globalpolicy.igc.org/security/natres/oil/2003/0122gui.htm|title=Oil Boom Enriches African Ruler: While the people of Equatorial Guinea live on a dollar a day, sources say their leader controls more than $300 million in a Washington bank|publisher=[[Los Angeles Times]]|archivedate=2003-01-22|url=http://www.latimes.com}}</ref> === 2004 coup attempt === In March 2004, Obiang announced that there was a complex plot to overthrow him that allegedly involved the intelligence services of the [[United States]], the [[United Kingdom]] and [[Spain]], [[Mark Thatcher]] and [[Simon Mann]]. Shortly after 15 people were arrested in Equatorial Guinea in connection with a possible coup attempt, an airplane landed in [[Harare]], [[Zimbabwe]], and was promptly detained by authorities. This story was used for the 2006 UK film ''[[Coup!]]''. The Zimbabwean government claimed that the aircraft was carrying armed white [[mercenary|mercenaries]] who were heading to Equatorial Guinea with the aim of toppling Obiang's government. However, the American-based operator of the plane maintained that the men were en route to the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] to guard commercial mining interests for [[JFPI Corporation]]. President Obiang charges that various Western governments wanted to install the head of Equatorial Guinea's government-in-exile, [[Severo Moto Nsá]], as president. A man that Equatoguinean media identified as the leader of the mercenaries, [[Nick du Toit]], said he had not intended to kill Obiang, but had hoped to force him into exile. === Relations with Washington === [[Image:Secretary Rice and President Obiang.jpg||thumb|280px|US Secretary [[Condoleezza Rice]] with Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo in [[2006]]]] Equatorial Guinea's relations with the United States entered a cooling phase in 1993, when then-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 [[Malabo]] in 1994;<ref>[http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2005/01/12_400.html A Touch of Crude<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> in his farewell address, he publicly named the government's most notorious torturers &ndash; 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 [[September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks]] on New York and Washington, in the aftermath of which the United States sought a radical reprioritization in its dealings with key African states. On [[January 25]], [[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, DC. 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".<ref name="IASPS">[http://www.iasps.org/strategic/africawhitepaper.pdf Proceedings of an IASPS Symposium]</ref> Speaking at the IASPS forum, Assistant Secretary of State for Africa [[Walter H. Kansteiner, III|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."<ref name="IASPS"/> 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."<ref>{{cite news|title=Equatorial Guinea Goes from Rags to Riches With Oil Boom|author=Larry Luxner|url=http://www.washdiplomat.com/01-08/a2_08_01.html|date=2001-08|accessdate=2007-11-01|comment=Larry Luxner is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.}}</ref> President Obiang was warmly greeted by Secretary of State [[Condoleezza Rice]], who called him a "good friend",<ref>[http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2006/64434.htm Remarks With Equatorial Guinean President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo Before Their Meeting]</ref> 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.<ref name="Putting Lipstick on a Dictator">{{cite news|last=Kurlantzick|first=Joshua|title=Putting Lipstick on a Dictator|publisher=''Mother Jones''|date=[[2007-05-07]]|url=http://www.motherjones.com/news/outfront/2007/05/extreme_makeover.html|accessdate=2007-08-22}}</ref> By October 2006, however, the [[Senate Foreign Relations Committee]] had raised concerns about the proposal to build the new embassy on land owned by Mba himself, whom the [[United Nations Commission on Human Rights]] has accused of directly overseeing the torture of opponents of Obiang's regime. <ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,434691,00.html | title = Rich in Oil, Poor in Human Rights: Torture and Poverty in Equatorial Guinea | author = Alexander Smoltczyk | publisher = Der Spiegel | date = 2006-08-28 }}</ref> === Finances === Obiang had a close relationship with Washington DC-based [[Riggs Bank]]. He is said to have been welcomed by top Riggs officials, who held a luncheon in his honor.<ref name='WaPo 2004-07-17'>{{cite news | first=David | last=Montgomery | coauthors= Kathleen Day | title=Critics Say Allbritton Ruined Bank He Loved | date=[[2004-07-17]] | publisher= | url =http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A56372-2004Jul16.html | work =[[Washington Post]] | pages = | accessdate = 2008-07-08 | language = }}</ref> (Publicity regarding this relationship would later contribute to the downfall of Riggs.) === Succession === It is a common myth that Obiang is suffering from terminal [[prostate cancer]], amongst other illnesses, is reported to weigh as little as 50kg (110 lbs), and is said to be existing in agony. [[Robert Young Pelton]] (Licensed to Kill, Hired Guns in The War on Terror) interviewed Obiang in person in [[Bata]] during 2007 for his book research and confirmed these rumors as false and that according to Obiang he has a mild and controllable case of diabetes. The issue of succession is dominating the country, with a political struggle within the Equato-Guinean elite. Obiang favors his son [[Teodorín Nguema Obiang]]. Another contender is [[Armengol Ondo Nguema]] In [[November 2005]], Obiang held an important meeting with the PDGE, in which it was believed that he intended to create a position of [[vice president]] and fill that position with his son.{{Fact|date=August 2007}} His worsening medical condition demands he travel abroad twice a month. He also held a private meeting with [[Pope Benedict XVI]] in December 2005.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=41170|title=Pope meets president of Equatorial Guinea|publication|Catholic World News|accessdate=2007-11-01|date=2005-12-09}}</ref> == References == {{reflist|2}} == External links == * [http://www.ecaligiuri.com Honorary Consul for Equatorial Guinea] Licensed to Kill, Hired Guns In the War on Terror by Robert Young Pelton. * [http://www.slate.com/id/2193870 Who's Africa's Worst Dictator? Hint: It's probably not Robert Mugabe] [[Slate.com]] * [http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,434691,00.html "Torture and Poverty in Equatorial Guinea"], Alexander Smoltczyk, ''[[Der Spiegel]]'', August 28, 2006. {{start box}} {{s-off}} {{Incumbent succession box | title = [[President of Equatorial Guinea]] | before = [[Francisco Macías Nguema]] | start = [[1979]] }} {{end box}} {{EquatoguineanPresidents}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, Teodoro}} [[Category:1942 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Current national leaders]] [[Category:Leaders who took power by coup]] [[Category:Equatoguinean politicians]] [[Category:Equatoguinean Roman Catholics]] [[af:Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo]] [[ar:تيودورو اوبيانغ نغيما مباسوغو]] [[ca:Teodoro Obiang Nguema]] [[de:Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo]] [[et:Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo]] [[el:Τεόντορο Ομπιάνγκ Νγκουέμα Μπαζόνγκο]] [[es:Teodoro Obiang]] [[fr:Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo]] [[gl:Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo]] [[io:Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo]] [[id:Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo]] [[it:Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo]] [[nl:Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo]] [[ja:テオドロ・オビアン・ンゲマ]] [[no:Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo]] [[pl:Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo]] [[pt:Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo]] [[ro:Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo]] [[ru:Теодоро Обианг Нгема Мбасого]] [[simple:Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo]] [[fi:Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo]] [[sv:Theodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo]] [[zh:特奥多罗·奥比昂·恩圭马·姆巴索戈]]