Equatorial Guinea: death in prison of an opponent of Spanish nationality

An opponent of the Equatorial Guinean regime, with Spanish nationality, died in a prison in this country where he had been detained since his alleged abduction at the end of 2019, we learned this Sunday evening from his movement, a death confirmed Monday January 16 via Madrid.

Julio Obama Mefuman, 51, "

", in Mongomo (East), announced in a press release the Movement for the Liberation of the Third Republic of Equatorial Guinea (MLGE3R), a political opposition movement in exile in Spain, of which he was a member.

The regime in question

This death was "

" to the "

" of the opponent, settled in Spain, specified the MLGE3R.

The movement, which accuses the Equatoguinean regime of "

", does not specify the date or the circumstances of his death.

Contacted by AFP, a spokesperson for the Spanish Foreign Ministry confirmed the death but declined to give further details.

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On Twitter, Andres Esono Ondo, leader of Convergence for Social Democracy (CPDS), the only opposition party that is not banned in Equatorial Guinea, condemned “

”.

Unsuccessful candidate in the last presidential election in November, he also called for the opening of an "

" to "

".

Opening procedure by Madrid

This death occurs two weeks after the announcement by the Spanish justice of the opening of an investigation into the kidnapping and torture of Julio Obama Mefuman as well as a second opponent, also of Spanish nationality, Feliciano Efa Mangue.

This procedure targets three relatives of Equatoguinean President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, including one of his sons, Carmelo Ovono Obiang, head of the foreign intelligence service of this small oil-rich Central African country.

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The three men, presented as senior security officials from Equatorial Guinea, are suspected of having organized the kidnapping in South Sudan of these two opponents and two others, who also lived in Spain, at the end of 2019.

Spanish interference denounced

According to the Spanish daily

, which had access to reports from the Spanish police, these four opponents were forcibly repatriated to Equatorial Guinea, where they were subjected to repeated sessions of torture, in the presence of the three senior officials targeted. by investigation.

Following the announcement of this investigation, the vice-president of Equatorial Guinea and all-powerful son of the head of state, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, on January 4 accused Spain of "interference", qualifying on Twitter the four opponents of "

".

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Feliciano Efa Mangue and Julio Obama Mefuman were sentenced respectively in March 2020 to 90 and 60 years in prison for having, according to the Equatoguinean authorities, participated in an "

" against President Obiang in December 2017. A former Spanish colony, Equatorial Guinea is considered one of the most closed and authoritarian regimes in the world.

It has been led since 1979 by 80-year-old Teodoro Obiang, who holds the world record for longevity in power for a living head of state.