Russian mercenaries draw suspicion in Equatorial Guinea

Arrived from August 2024, approximately 300 paramilitaries were reportedly in charge of the security of the president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, his wife and their son, the vice-president "Teodorin".

Discontent is expressed in private, since this Central African country has been governed for 45 years by autocrat Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who does not respect fundamental rights, namely freedom of expression, according to the French news agency. “Its presence provides no guarantee of well-being for the population,” Baril, 40, is indignant in the living room of his house under construction in Malabo. In August 2024, white men appeared wearing mili…

Russian mercenaries draw suspicion in Equatorial Guinea

Authorities have never announced their deployment and they do not appear in official photographs — but Russian mercenaries in combat fatigues are a daily sight in Equatorial Guinea’s capital Malabo. Their presence, and the lack of transparency about their mission, has annoyed some citizens in this central African country on the Atlantic coast, stricken by poverty and joblessness. Locals in private question the motives for the hiring of the Russi…