Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea Formerly the Spanish colonies of Fernando Póo (Bioko) and Mbini on the west coast of Africa, the mainland was not effectively occupied by Spain until 1926. It was declared independent on 12 October 1968 following a campaign led by Macias Nguema (b. 1924), who became the first President. Nguema imprisoned or murdered most members of the opposition, and established a brutal dictatorial regime, during which 120,000 people went into exile. This culminated in 1978 with the outlawing of the Roman Catholic Church, to which over 80 per cent of the population belonged. In 1979 Nguema was overthrown and executed by his nephew, Colonel Teodore Obiang Nguema Mbasogo (b. 1942). Continuing his uncle's human rights violations, Obiang created a new unity party, the Partido Democrático Guinea Ecuatorial (PDGE, Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea), and in the early 1990s introduced a notional process of democratization.

A new Constitution in 1991 introduced in theory a multi-party democracy, though new parties would be required to pay a ridiculously high deposit. As a result, the 1993 parliamentary elections were boycotted by the opposition, and hence duly won by the PDGE. On 24 May 1995, the President of the oppositional Partida del Progreso (Progressive Party) was tried and convicted for treason, and sentenced to 28 years' imprisonment. On 25 February 1996, the first presidential elections in 25 years were won by Obiang, whose PDGE also won subsequent parliamentary elections in 1999. Meanwhile, harrassment of the opposition and a curtailment of freedom of speech continued. The economy was boosted by the growth of oil exploration, which accounted for most of the country's exports in 2000. The improvement in the country's overall economy did little to lift the appalling conditions of the mass of the population in one of the poorest countries in the world, with a life expectancy of 54 years.