2 July 2001. Thanks to Anonymous.
CIA Factbook on Equatorial Guinea: http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ek.html
US Geological Survey map of Equatorial Guinea: http://edcintl.cr.usgs.gov/adds/c1/r1/ek/doc/maps/ek.gif (283KB)
US Department of Energy analysis of Equatorial Guinea's oil policy and industry: http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/eqguinea.html
Oil industry activity in Equatorial Guinea: http://www.equatorialguinea.advocate.net/Links/links_oil_companies.html
By Anonymous
A new political formation in Equatorial Guinea, the Equatorial Guinean Resistance (RGE), has emerged advocating armed force to topple the present leader Teodoro Obiang.
RGE is believed to be aligned with Cameroon's Southern Successionists who are set against the operation of Chevron Oil's Doula Pipeline from the oil fields in Chad. The National Resistance of Equatorial Guinea (RENEGE), a loose coalition of five parties opposed to Obiang and based in Madrid, is a different organisation from RGE and its military arm ANGE.
RENAGE has no declared position on the use of force against president Obiang's government. Below is the founding document of RGE and two subsequent communiqués.
Equatorial Guinea is believed to sit upon petroleum reserves in excess of those of Kuwait.
[French original]
Preamble
We, the oppressed people of Equatorial Guinea, mindful of our delayed national aspirations; the stifled growth of open civil society, political discourse and liberty, and denial of equal rights for all before a system of law worthy of the name; the deliberate underdevelopment of national democratic institutions since the independence from fascist Spain in 1968; the subsequent genocide visited on us by the first tyrant Macias Nguema; the continued suffering of our citizens at the hand of that tyrants's nephew, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, and his squandering of national resources on himself, his family, familiars and tribal patrons of sections of the Monogomo clan; the urgency in bringing about the comprehensive reversal of his acts and the defeat of his misrule confronting us, uniting our people through the accomplishment of together achieving Equatorial Guinea's national liberation by our own hand, and building an authentic Republic beyond the manipulation of foreign powers and transnational commercial interests,
Resolve this day to make known the political formation of the RGE in fulfilment of our Founding Principles and Objectives; to be an organization to unite the people of Equatorial Guinea behind the pursuit and final attainment of our national liberation through the removal from power of all manifestations of the Nguema regime and the so-called Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea (PDGE) and any successors it might have; the convening under RGE auspices a National Convention to decide a State Constitution to establish a democratic republic with liberty for all our people and ratified by the first plenary of popular representatives chosen by free and fair elections and universal adult suffrage, and to:
Passed by unanimous vote this the twenty first day of December 2000 in southern Cameroon by the convening conference of Equatorial Guinean patriots.
The Command and General Headquarters of the National Resistance Army : ANGE(RGE)
Having regard to
1. The employment of Moroccan bodyguards in the so-called presidential compound of the tyrant, Teodoro Obiang Nguema in Malabo, Bioko island;2. The continuing reports of the presence of a hit squad commissioned by the tyrant Obiang Nguema said to be targeting the Equatorial Guinean opposition in exile in France, Spain and Italy;
brings to the attention of
3. managers and controllers of the oil-production platforms and petro-chemical processing facilities the request by the GC of the RGE to not allow any premises under their control or their staff, both foreign (with special mention of Chevron) and Equatorial Guinean, be used for assistance to and organisation by the armed formations and apparatus (inclusive of the PDGE and the 79 so-called parliamentary deputies appointed after the sham elections of 7 March 1999) of the tyrant Obiang Nguena; and
on instruction form the Executive Committee of RGE to formulate a counter strategy and plan of response announces the General Military Order 3/2001 to be:
1. All foreign military or paramilitary forces guarding the person and facilities of the tyrant Obiang Nguema, his family and business associates along with the repressive state apparatus he commands are now declared targets for the use of lethal force and destruction on the territory of Equatorial Guinea by operatives and active combat units of ANGE;2. Subject to review by the General Committee of RGE the oil drilling platforms and petro-chemical processing facilities and the staffs employed on site are exempt in full as targets from GMO 3/2001.
3. Subject to on-going review by the GC of RGE there are to be no operations involving use of force against foreign business with a presence on Equatorial Guinean territory by operatives and active combat units of ANGE.
4. The identified principals on Equatorial Guinean territory of the European-based hit squads are declared immediately subject to the application of lethal force;
By order of the CGHQ of the ANGE(RGE).
12 March 2001
[Spanish original]
Immediate Release All Wires
The General Committee of RGE announces that in the light of the serious flaws and omissions in the 20 April 2001 resolution of the UN's Economic and Social Council on the Human Rights situation in EG; and the overly restrained country report on Human Rights practices in EG given out by the US Department of State in February 2001; the following is issued unanimously by the plenary GC of RGE:
Noting that Kenya on behalf of the Africa Group presented the final misleading text of the resolution that glosses over the tyrannical practices and systemic Human Rights abuses by the Teodoro Obiang Nguema regime in Malabo and throughout the territory of EG; and that the EG tyranny purposively influenced the Africa Group,
Recalling the tyrant Obiang in his April 2001 visit to Washington DC to meet with president Bush had two additional goals, namely:
(i) the reopening of a US embassy in Malabo on Bioko island.(ii) the watering down of the February Human Rights report of the US State Department.
Recalling the reciprocal support between the petroleum companies operating in EG and the tyrant Obiang in arguing and lobbying the Bush administration and US Congress with a view to re-opening the US embassy in Malabo,
Noting the continuing, grave and systemic nature and scope of Human Rights abuses by the Obiang regime as alluded to in the US State Department report, and in addition the rapacious, non-sustainability of the exploitation of EG's natural resources along with ecological damage to our jungle hard-wood forests,
Noting the facile attempts by the tyrant and his state apparatus, contracted lobbying firms and apologists to create the appearance of conformity with the provisions of international instruments governing the protection of Human Rights and their purpose to deceive the United Nations Organization and the international community about the continuing denial of Equatorial Guinean's social and economic rights, the denial meted out to women and children being most troubling and noteworthy,
Noting the farcical nature of legislative representation in EG and the sham municipal elections 28 May 2000 and parody in national life of the tyrant's National Commission of Human Rights praised in the Africa Group report, and further noting the disinformation broadcast by the Obiang tyranny and its apologists about a so-called clemency decree issued by the tyrant on 30 December 2000 supposedly releasing fifty political prisoners and reducing the period of unjust imprisonment on another eighty five hostages,
1. Expresses it gratitude to the Special Representative of the UN Commission on Human Rights, Gallon Giraldo, and remains seized of Human Rights in EG and congratulate him on his re-appointment for a further year;
2. Notes with satisfaction that the tyrant Obiang was unable to have any meeting with President Bush;
3. Urges all lobbying and public relations firms to desist and remain away from representing the tyranny in Malabo and the person and family of the tyrant Obiang Nguema, the blood of the innocent is as much on their hands as the tyranny itself and they are directly responsible through their propaganda efforts for prolonging the bondage and suffering of the Equatorial Guinean people; and specifically the personal safety of the directors and employees of the two lobbying firms in Washington DC cannot be guaranteed in or over the territory of EG by the oppressed people themselves and the active armed units of the National Resistance Army (ANGE) of RGE, namely:
Mr Bruce McColm of Washington D.C., USA
AfricaGlobal Partner, L.L.C., FARA # 5349
1050 Seventeenth Street, N.W. Suite 600
Washington DC 20036 USA
in particular:
Kevin R. Callwood
Jean-Marc Koumoue
David H. Miller
Mima S. Nedelcovych
and,
Black, Kelly, Scruggs & Healey, FARA # 3600
1801 K Street, N.W. Suite 901-L
Washington DC 20006 USA
4. further urges businesses with economic dealings with the Obiang regime to actively examine their relationship with the regime in order to determine whether their presence is both directly or indirectly enabling the regime to continue abusing its citizens and curbing their natural and internationally conferred freedoms and where they find they are complicitous to immediately disengage or disinvest from the regime, particularly Chevron Oil;
5. Requests banking institutions abroad and on the territory to desist from moving off-shore the wealth that properly belongs to the Equatorial Guinean people and is being squandered and stolen and placed in off-shore accounts by the tyrant, his family and his apparatus;
6. Supports the re-introduction of a US diplomatic presence so as to better monitor and report the outrages of the regime, but stops short of endorsing the re-opening of diplomatic relations at an embassy level as the oppressed Equatorial Guineans and people across our region would necessarily interpret this as an endorsement of the Obiang regime and its acts;
7. Exhorts the regional states to accept refugees from EG fleeing the abuses of the Obiang tyranny and to meet their needs for physical care, health services, housing and education in conjunction with the international community. Technical assistance is also requested of them in ensuring the proper reporting of Human Rights abuses to responsible governments and directly to the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights.
8. Invites all member states of the United Nations to remain concerned over the Human Rights abuses and ecological and commercial crimes of the Obiang tyranny and confront the regime over these abuses in any forum it dares show itself; and where it proves intransigent, expel its representatives until authentic democracy is achieved in EG.
23 April 2001
