Equatorial Guinea's Vice President Accuses France of Destabilization and Coup Involvement

Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, Vice President of Equatorial Guinea, has publicly accused France of actively seeking to destabilize his country. His allegations, made on October 20 via X, respond to the recent awarding of the Franco-German Human Rights Prize to Alfredo Okenve, an exiled activist whom Equatorial Guinea brands a "traitor." Obiang condemned France for "rewarding those who incite hatred," accusing French external intelligence agents (DGSE) of involvement in a failed December 2017 coup attempt.

Obiang criticized France's "systematic harassment" of Equatorial Guinea, comparing it to actions against other African nations like Mali and Niger. Central to the dispute is a legal battle over assets, notably a €100 million property on Avenue Foch in Paris, confiscated by France as part of an "ill-gotten gains" case. The International Court of Justice ruled in favor of France on September 12, dismissing Equatorial Guinea's bid to block the sale of this property.

The Vice President himself has a history of legal issues related to corruption, having been sentenced in France in 2021 to three years' suspended imprisonment and fined €30 million. He has also faced investigations across multiple countries, including the U.S. and Switzerland. Equatorial Guinea, ruled by his father President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo for over four decades, remains an oil-rich but politically tense nation in Central Africa.

These developments signal increased diplomatic strain between France and Equatorial Guinea, centered on accusations of destabilization efforts and ongoing disputes over confiscated assets.