In Equatorial Guinea, the presence of Russian mercenaries arouses criticism

Their deployment has never been announced by the authorities, we do not see them in the official photos, but they are crossed every day in Malabo … The presence of Russian mercenaries in Equatorial Guinea arouses criticism and questions in this country struck by poverty and unemployment. Whites carrying military trellis, sometimes decorated with Russian insignia, appeared in August 2024. They are seen in particular near the Malabo palace, by the sea, at the time of the next generation.

The discontent is expressed in discussions in a private circle, this country of Central Africa being led for forty-five years by an autocrat that is not inclined to freedom of expression, Teodoro Obiang Nguema. “It is one more economic burden, useless for national cash. Their presence does not provide any guarantee of well-being to the population ”indignant barrel, quarantine, in the living room of his house under construction in Malabo.

Juvenal Osuan Ondo Mba, telecommunications engineer, does not understand: “Whatever their origin, Equatorial Guinea is not at war and the presence of mercenaries has no profit for the population”said this fifties installed in a poor district of Malabo: “We also have an army, no recruitment in the armed forces and state security are not without recruitment. Why still the mercenaries? »» The question also irritates in Parliament and within the army, even if no one poses it aloud.

For the Equato-Guinean lawyer Tutu Alicante, of the EG-Justice human rights association, based in the United States, the presence of mercenaries is “Extremely disturbing”. “The government has the obligation to inform the people of the presence of foreign soldiers or mercenaries on the Equatorial Guinean territory: why they are there, how long they will stay, how or how paid they are …”he said, attached to the phone by the France-Presse agency (AFP).

For the moment, the official information has limited itself to a few elliptical press releases after the three visits of President Obiang in Russia (in 2023 and 2024) and the two hearings in Malabo of the Russian defense vice-minister, Iounous-Bek Evkourov, 1^er December 2024 and March 3, 2025. According to experts, this Deputy Minister was responsible for taking over the African networks of the Wagner group after the death of Evgueni Prigojine, in August 2023, with an “Africa Corps” structure, active in particular in the Sahel countries, in connection with the expansion of Russian influence on the continent.

Feverishness

Official press releases mention neither Wagner nor Africa Corps. The military agreements of 2024 evoke the sending of“Instructors” Russians for military training. But no training has been organized since the arrival of the first Russian contingent in August 2024, according to military sources. Since the deployment of a second contingent, mid-September 2024, foreign paramilitaries have continued to arrive with equipment, weapons and vehicles.

Their current number is estimated at around 300, according to security sources contacted by AFP. They are responsible for the personal security of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, his wife and their son, vice-president Teodoro Nguema Obiang, known as “Teodorin”, alongside Israeli or Ugandan soldiers, according to concordant information obtained by AFP in Malabo.

According to political analysts, the enlargement of military agreements to the protection of the Head of State reflects a certain feverishness of the president vis-à-vis the army, with the backdrop of a fear of putsch perhaps inspired by his own coup against his predecessor and uncle, Macias Nguema Biyogo, in 1979. Call on the Russians and weigh the nationalities of his guard to create divisions Risks, a military strategist told AFP under the cover of anonymity.

The online newspaper Diario Rombe, Based in Spain and close to the opposition in exile, says the military agreements include a recruitment operation for the conflict in Ukraine. The Ministry of Defense has published in mid-March a “Notice of call for candidates” To select young Equato-Guineans for “Training scholarships offered by the Russian Federation”a document that AFP had copies. “It is a question of recruiting citizens without military experience, to be sacrificed in exchange for the presence of Russian mercenaries in Equatorial Guinea”says Diario Rombe. It was not possible to obtain an official comment on these accusations.