CEEAC (Guinea Ecuato., Camerún, Gabón, SantoTomé y Príncipe)

[Esteban]

Extraños artículo en EL PAIS http://www.elpais.com/articulo/reportaj ... grep_2/Tes

Poco más o menos, que como Obiang se porta bien, las potencias le dejan hacer, mientras que Mann poco más o menos se tiene merecido lo que le pasa (puede ser, aunque no por ello se debe renunciar a sus derechos humanos).

Dice que Nick du Toit está muerto, cosa que no es cierta.

La respuesta, en espacioseuropeos

http://espacioseuropeos.com/?p=89

[Loopster]

SIGNOS DE APOCALIPSIS EN EL RÉGIMEN DEL CAOS.
(publicado por: MBO OBA)


El dictador Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, según nuestras fuentes de información, en su último consejo de ministros de fecha día 8 de febrero, adoptó una decisión que dejó perplejo y preocupados a sus corruptos colaboradores: la militarización obligatoria de todos los miembros del Gobierno. Es decir, estos deberían recibir instrucción militar (consistente únicamente en unos ejercicios de tiros con armas de asalto y pistolas, tres veces a la semana ). Dicha medida, dirigida al principio a los miembros del corrupto y criminal gobierno se hará extensiva a todas las estructuras institucionales del régimen: el parlamento fantasma, el poder judicial, la administración pública, las administraciones periféricas, los ayuntamientos y seguramente, a los centros escolares.

Los ejercicios de tiro lo llevan realizando desde hace años los hijos, nietos, yernos, cuñados.... del dictador como una especie de unidad de élite familiar-tribal, para estar en forma en caso de.....pero albergamos serias dudas sobre la eficacia de dichos ejercicios de tiros, vista la vida disoluta y de poca seriedad que llevan los vástagos del dictador, sus nietos, cuñados y todo lo que le rodea.

Esta arbitraria decisión ha metido más miedo a los colaboradores del dictador que ánimos de luchar por mantener el régimen del mal y la destrucción que tanta riqueza mal adquirida y tantos privilegios les han deparado. Muchos miembros del gobierno y los mandamases del clan gobernante están solicitanto masivamente visados para alejar de Malabo y Bata, a sus mujeres, hijos y nietos. Seguro que ellos mismos tendrán ideados planes para largarse del País, en caso de que suenen realmente las armas y los cañones para borrar definitivamente la aberración histórica que representa este régimen del caos.

La situación de nerviosismo y de alerta permamente es todavía más acuciante cuando el enemigo es invisible, invencible y desconocido.

El origen real de tanto revuelo apocaliptico es Simon Mann, secuestrado ilegalmente en Zimbabwe sólo para satisfacer el ego del dictador y su manía contra todo aquello que quiera removerlo de la silla presidencial. Ya dijimos que Simon Mann no es cualquier fulano, ni un mercenario por cuentra propia. Simon Mann es un mercenario de tiempos modernos post-guerra fría, contratado por potencias occidentales y multinacionales petroleras para ” resolver” algunos asuntitos en el estercolero bananero del tercer mundo, con régimenes corruptos y antidemocráticos: desde el Continente Africano, al Sudeste Asiático, Oriente Próximo y America latina.

Robert Mugabe, astuto y maquiavélico, estaba informado de quién es Simon Mann, a través del Gobierno Surafricano, a cambio, liberó a los compañeros de este, de origen surafricanos. Y empezó a regatear para rentabilizar politica y económicamente el ” asunto ” Simon Mann con los ineptos gobernantes del régimen del caos: se ha quedado con el petróleo y los millones de dólares y le ha pasado el ” problema Simon Mann ” a la dictadura de Guinea Ecuatorial, saltando todos los procedimientos juridicos para las extradiciones judiciales para complicar más el asunto.

El asunto de Simon Mann tiene más meandros que el Río Amazonas: la dictadura criminal de Malabo debería preguntarse ¿ Dónde están Ali Khalil, Mark Tatcher......? ¿ Dónde está el supuesto avión comprado en Estados Unidos y en el cual fue detenido Simon Mann y sus compañeros en Harare ? ¿ Quienes iban estar de turno en la torre de control del Aeropuerto de Malabo, en el supuesto día de la invasión mercenaria ? ¿ Quién iba suministrar la información sobre la ubicación exacta del dictador el día de la invasión, así como la de sus hermanos y altos miembros del Gobierno ? ¿ Quién facilitó los aparatos de comunicación de la dirección de comunicaciones de la seguridad presidencial a los supuestos mercenarios detenidos en Malabo así como las frecuencias de emisión de dicho sistema de comunicación ? ¿ Quién iba encargarse de producir el apagón en el sistema de telefonía para mantener incomunicado en país ? ¿ Quiénes iban a acompañar a un grupo de supuestos mercenarios en su traslado a la Región Continental para asegurar su control ? ¿ Quiénes componían la larga lista del nuevo gobierno, gobernadores provinciales y delegados de gobierno, así como los jefes militares respectivos ?....estas preguntas deben llamar a la reflexión en el sentido de que los deseos de cambio están incluso en aquellos colaboradores más leales, aparentemente. En una situación de dictadura como la actual, las personas tienen una reacción natural: el instinto de conservación, ello no quiere decir que no deseen el cambio que le procure bienestar, libertad y tranquilidad. La red es inmensa,...y Simon Mann es un elemento prescindible de ella.

Todos los argumentos y justificaciones que quieran presentar ahora el corrupto gobierno de Guinea Ecuatorial, y su impresentable sistema judicial, empezando por su ” zombi ” de fiscal general sobre la supuesta extradición judicial de Simon Mann a Malabo, cumpliendo las normas internacionales, carecen de fundamento: Ha sido un secuestro extrajudicial, mediando el procedimiento de soborno a todos los estamentos políticos y judiciales de Zimbabwe, lo cual es aún más grave. La extradición de un delicuente, mercenario o terrorista de un país a otro debe seguir un procedimiento judicial trasparente y en ningun momento debe intervenir el pago por dicha extradición. Simon Mann ha sido secuestrado con la connivencia del gobierno y las autoridades judiciales de Harare tras haber recibido millones de barriles de petróleo y decenas de millones de dólares. Y esto es jugar sucio y suena a provocación, teniendo en cuenta que las personas encargadas de dicha supuesta extradición, el ” zombi ” de fiscal general, José Olo , y el Ministro de Seguridad, Manuel Nguema Mba, no tienen ninguna credibilidad en materia de aplicación y respeto de procedimientos judiciales y de respeto de derechos humanos, respectivamente.

La dictadura criminal de Guinea Ecuatorial se había acostumbrado a la impunidad sobre sus secuestros de ex militares y políticos en Benin, Nigeria , Cameroun y Gabón, con la complicidad criminal de dichos gobiernos, que faltaron en su deber de protección de personas refugiadas por razones políticas y con un serio peligro para su integridad física y sus vidas, como ha ocurrido en todos esos casos.

Nuestras fuentes de información nos relatan situaciones que realzan el ambiente de nerviosismo. A las 22 horas y 30 minutos del pasado miércoles, se estuvieron colocando vetustos carros de combate en todas las entradas del cerco presidencial donde vive el dictador, sus hermanos y allegados, y donde está ubicada la cárcel de Black Beach, actual residencia no solicitada de Simonn Mann. Dichas operaciones se realizaron con bastante desorden y nerviosismo, según nuestras fuentes, lo cual incrementó la inquietud entre los prohombres del régimen.

La presencia de uniformados se hace notar en toda la Isla de Bioko y en la Ciudad de Bata, según nuestras fuentes. Pero, la moral de combate es nula. Toda la población está deseando fervientemente la caída de la dictadura ya que el nivel de injusticias, la miseria y la falta de futuro son agobiantes. ¿ Por qué tendrán que defender los militares patriotas a un régimen que le niega bienestar al Pueblo ? ¿ Cómo se pueden mantener indiferentes al sufrimiento del Pueblo durante tantos años, a pesar de las enormes riquezas que el país posee al día de hoy ? ¿ Por qué y por quién habría que luchar ?....cuando toda la riqueza nacional está acaparada por una familia y su clan; todos los puestos relevantes del gobierno, administración pública, ejército, embajadas, empresas públicas, empresas petroliferas, ...están usurpados por una familia y su clan. Todos los grandes negocios de la construcción, madera, hoteleros, servicios, contratos públicos, subvenciones , ayudas, están usurpados por una familia y su clan. Todas las becas, promociones, oportunidades de empleo en el sector público y el sector petrolífero y de gas están usurpados por una familia y su clan. La discriminación tribal en favor de una familia y el clan gobernante, autoproclamados en una especie de familia imperial con derecho a todo, despreciando todas las demas regiones, tribus, etnias y pueblos de Guinea Ecuatorial es una realidad que debe llamar a la reflexión de todos sobre el sesgo criminal de una ideología tribalista y destructiva con un futuro oscuro.

El conflicto que se avecina no es contra Guinea Ecuatorial ni contra su Pueblo. Es una simple remoción de una aberración histórica que representa el régimen del PDGE. Tantas promesas de progreso, bienestar y paz ¿ Dónde están ?....mientras la familia gobernante y los afortunados del régimen pasan sus consultas médicas en Estados Unidos, Francia, España,....¿ qué inversiones se han realizado en el sector sanitario para garantizar un servicio sanitario eficiente, gratuito y universal ?....mientras los hijos de los afortunados del régimen, a pesar de las fortunas que poseen sus padres, acaparan las pocas becas que se dan para realizar estudios en Estados Unidos, China, Marruecos, Francia, Canada,....los hijos del Pueblo llano, con todo el bachillerato acabado, están abandonados a su suerte por un gobierno corrupto e insensato. ( Lo que es peor, los hijos del Pueblo tienen que ir a la oficina nacional del PDGE a comprar una beca por 1.500.000 F.cfas , en el despacho de su corrupto secretario general, Filiberto Ntutumu, que en ocasiones se queda con el dinero y no te da ninguna beca y te espeta eso de siempre: vete acusarme donde quieras )....mientras la familia gobernante posee una flota de aviones privados ( comprados con el dinero del Pueblo) que los lleva por medio mundo para satisfacer sus caprichos...la población indefensa tiene que arriesgar sus vidas embarcando en aviones y barcos que datan de la segunda guerra mundial, y a pesar del accidente del antonov, sin que se hayan depurado las responsabilidades de dicho fatidico siniestro aéreo, las cosas siguen como si no hubiera pasado nada y la población guineana fueran cabras y reses que se pueden transportar de cualquier manera.
...mientras los hijos de los afortunados del régimen cursan sus estudios primarios y secundarios, con pésimos resultados, en colegios de lujo en España, Francia, Inglaterra, Estados Unidos, Suiza, Filipinas, China, Canada, Venezuela, Argentina, Surafrica....los hijos del Pueblo tienen que quedarse en la calle por falta de plazas escolares o asistir en centros decrépitos, masificados, sucios, abandonados, sin material ni maestros y profesores cualificados. Mientras los generales y otros altos mandos del ejército parientes del dictador y miembros directos de su clan poseen hoteles, empresas, mansiones y están vinculados con los negocios del sector petrolífero y de la construcción, los soldados y oficiales de originarios de otras regiones de Guinea Ecuatorial y de otras tribus y etnias, viven con salarios miserables y en cuarteles destartalados, llenos de inmundicias, sin agua potable ni luz, ....así podríamos seguir dando ejemplos de la destrucción progresiva e imparable del País que es una acción colectiva de los defensores del régimen del mal, y el caos. En consecuencia, ¿ Por qué defender a un régimen que ha puesto de rodillas y humillado a todo un Pueblo ?

El odio contra la población está en su punto más alto en todos los defensores del régimen del caos. Tienen instrucciones, según nuestras fuentes, de ser implacables con cualquier foco o con personas que manifiesten abiertamente una opinión contraria a la línea oficial y que critiquen abiertamente al régimen y su gobierno.

La intención real del dictador es destruir el país en caso de que peligre su poder dictatorial. Prefiere ver destruido Guinea Ecuatorial en una cruenta guerra civil antes de aceptar que gobiernen democráticamente y por el bien del Pueblo, otros guineanos patriotas, demócratas, honrados y sensibles a las necesidades del Pueblo. Esta es la razón real sobre la militarización de su gobierno y sus estructuras de poder: disparar contra el Pueblo en caso necesario, para garantizar la continuidad de la dictadura con todas sus injusticias.

[Esteban]

Articulo de Adam Roberts autor de The Wonga Coup

Man's cruelty to Mann




February 20, 2008 6:30 PM

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/ada ... _mann.html

I wouldn't trade places with Simon Mann for all the oil revenues in Equatorial Guinea. The hired gun has finally been dragged to the west African country where he is accused of plotting a remarkable coup attempt in March 2004. The Wonga coup - a failed effort by nearly 100 foreign mercenaries to topple the dictatorship and to grab a share of the country's oil wealth - came unstuck in dramatic fashion.

Mann and over 60 accomplices were snatched in Zimbabwe, at Harare airport, alongside a specially-converted American Boeing 727. He and the others were and jailed after trying to buy automatic rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, mortars, pistols, smoke bombs, flares and a host of other military gear, while on their way to Equatorial Guinea. An advance party of other plotters, in west Africa, en route to Equatorial Guinea in a private plane, turned tail and fled to the Canary Isles. A third group, mostly South Africans, on the ground in the target country, were rounded up, subjected to a show trial and jailed for as long as 34 years.

Mann himself has spent the past four years in Chikurubi maximum security prison, in Zimbabwe, first doing time for breaking a firearms law, then awaiting extradition to Equatorial Guinea. However grim conditions were in Zimbabwe - at least for ordinary prisoners, life can be terrifying, brutal and short inside Chikurubi; for Mann they were reportedly more comfortable - Mann feared ending up in Equatorial Guinea's notorious Black Beach prison. Apparently a special new wing has been built for him. Given international attention he is unlikely to suffer the sort of torture and ill-treatment that local political prisoners have endured. A German alleged plotter died in Black Beach prison shortly after his arrest-of a sudden attack of malaria said the authorities; beaten until a heart attack killed him, said his colleagues. Unless Mann can offer enough juicy details about the funding of the plot - presumably incriminating others - Mann can expect to spend a decade or more behind bars for his part in the Wonga coup. (The plot got its name after Mann boasted in 2004, wrongly, that a "large splodge of wonga" would soon spring him from behind bars.)

Some sympathy for Mann's plight may be justified. His lawyers say that he was kidnapped from Zimbabwe and dragged to Equatorial Guinea against his will and without regard for the law. He may have been kept in hiding in Gabon on the way. He can expect a show trial and heavy pressure to name who financed and backed his plot (look, not least, to Spain's government and to Anglo-American complicity).

But don't overdo the pity. Mercenaries are one of many blights in Africa. Responsible for colourful daring and adventure they may be, but plotters and schemers, hired guns, outsiders and African mercenaries alike, have generally spread misery and instability on the continent. Remember "Mad" Mike Hoare and his armies in Congo and his farcical effort to overthrow the government of the Seychelles? Or Bob Denard, the French soldier of fortune who regularly toppled the government of the Comores? Foreign fighters flocked to brutal wars in Biafra (Nigeria), Angola, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Congo and elsewhere, fighting and killing for money, exploiting others' misery for their own private gain. Some dared to claim they helped to bring order to wretched bits of Africa. In fact hired guns-especially those who plot coups-have been a curse on the continent and beyond.

Some of them claimed to be bringing order to the continent. One firm of hired guns - Executive Outcomes - used to claim that mercenaries could be a force for stability. When Angola's government hired foreign fighters to help push back rebel forces, in the 1990s, mercenaries could claim to be supporting the state. Similarly in Sierra Leone by the end of that decade, with Sandline and other mercenaries supporting the government against brutal rebels, some sort of argument could be made that foreign hired guns filled a gap where feeble governments and unwilling peacekeepers were unable to act. But the lesson of the Wonga Coup - and elsewhere when mercenaries have plotted regime change - is that hired guns are interested in money and adventure, not improving the lives of Africans or bringing order where there had been chaos.

For more African coverage from this author visit The Economist.

[Esteban]

Qué mala uva los de espacioseuropeos. Dicen que Moto anda buscando alquilar un gran avión con destino a Bata.

[KS]

Algunas dudas respecto al artículo de Mbo Oba:

_____________________________________

Gobierno Surafricano, a cambio, liberó a los compañeros de este, de origen surafricanos

No es cierto que se liberasen a todos los sudafricanos, al menos Nick du Toit sigue en Black Beach.

______________________________________

"se estuvieron colocando vetustos carros de combate"

¿Carros de combate en Guinea Ecuatorial? ¿Alguien tiene el Orbat de GE?


Un saludo,
KS

[Esteban]

Creo que algo tienen...Ramón!!! manifiéstate!!

[Esteban]

parece ser que hay una entrevista de Mann a Channel 4 aunque su familia ha logrado que de momento la justicia prohiba su difusión porque podría perjudicar su defensa.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/a ... ge_id=1770

Simon Mann’s wife and lawyer get ban on interview he gave to Channel 4
By JAMES TAPPER and BARBARA JONES - More by this author » Last updated at 01:05am on 2nd March 2008

Banned: Channel 4 has been prevented from broadcasting their interview with Simon Mann, in which he is believed to make allegations against Sir Mark Thatcher and Ely Calil
Mercenary Simon Mann is at the centre of an extraordinary High Court battle after Channel 4 was banned from broadcasting an interview with him.

Lawyers – acting without having spoken to Mr Mann but after consulting his wife Amanda – obtained an 11th-hour injunction preventing Channel 4 News from transmitting its film of the Old Etonian ex-SAS officer talking from his prison cell in Equatorial Guinea.

In the interview, the 55-year-old is believed to make allegations – said by his family to have been made "under duress" – against Sir Mark Thatcher and Ely Calil, a Lebanese oil dealer with a £100million fortune.

The three are accused by Equatorial Guinea of plotting a coup in 2004, which failed after Mr Mann was arrested when he arrived in Zimbabwe with 68 mercenaries and a cargo of arms.

Mr Mann's lawyers went to the High Court on Friday arguing he could not have consented to the interview. They believe he may have been forced to take part by prison authorities.

Channel 4 responded that the interview was carried out "in accordance with Mr Mann's wishes".

Anthony Kerman, representing Mr Mann, said last night he had not yet spoken to his client, but was acting under "general instruction" and in consultation with Amanda.

It was in July last year that this newspaper revealed that Mr Kerman was a friend of Ely Calil, the man accused of instigating the botched coup, and to have been its major funder.

Mr Mann was convicted of breaching Zimbabwe's immigration laws and had served almost four years in jail before being taken to Equatorial Guinea last month after an appeal against deportation failed.

His wife has said he was effectively "kidnapped" and now fears he will be tortured.

Channel 4 News foreign affairs correspondent Jonathan Miller conducted an interview with Mr Mann from the notorious Black Beach prison last week.

Late on Friday, Mr Kerman obtained an interim injunction preventing the broadcast for seven days.

Amanda Mann

Fears: Amanda Mann has told of her concerns that her husband will be tortured in Equatorial Guinea's Black Beach prison

He said: "We believe that Mr Mann's interests could be irreparably harmed if the broadcast takes place.

"I haven't seen the piece but we do believe that there may be admissions which he makes against his own interests and there may be allegations in the piece, too.

"[Channel 4] says that he talks frankly about the events leading up to his arrest. I'm told by other people that he may have said very considerably more than that, but that is sufficient for me to be very concerned."

The injunction prohibits the channel from broadcasting its interview because "it is not apparent he could properly consent to the interview taking place".

The solicitor, who has not spoken to his client since his arrival in the country's capital, Malabo, said: "He is utterly under the power of the Equatorial Guinea regime."

Mr Mann's incarceration began in Zimbabwe on March 7, 2004, when he and 68 South African and Angolan soldiers were arrested as their plane landed for a stop-off in Harare. The aircraft was due to be loaded with £100,000 worth of arms.

Mr Mann, who insisted he was only providing security for the diamond industry in the Democratic Republic of Congo, was sentenced to seven years in jail.

He had fought attempts by Equatorial Guinea to extradite him, but his appeal was rejected in January.

Sir Mark Thatcher, the son of former Prime Minister Lady Thatcher and an old friend of Mr Mann, was fined £265,000 and received a suspended four-year prison sentence in South Africa for helping finance the alleged coup.

Last year, Mr Mann was reportedly offered a deal by the Equatorial Guinean government, saying he would be allowed to go home if he named those behind the 2004 plot.

He was deported from Zimbabwe last month when the country's special forces removed him from his cell at 1am and flew him to Angola and then on to Equatorial Guinea.

He now faces a trial, during which government-appointed judges will almost certainly find him guilty, but the appointment of a local lawyer to his case last week brought fresh hope of his early release.

Attorney Ponciano Mbomio Nvo suggested "international pressure" for Mr Mann's release would be brought to bear on Equatorial Guinean President Teodoro Obiang Nguema.

He added: "The President has said he has no interest in keeping Mr Mann after the judgment is made. His wish is that there is a clear judgment, but after that he'll find a way to have Mr Mann sent out of Equatorial Guinea."

Scroll down for more...

Anthony Kerman

No contact: Ex-SAS officer Simon Mann has not spoken to lawyer Anthony Kerman since being deported

This optimism comes despite the fact that President Obiang is said to have sworn he will personally sodomise Mr Mann then skin him alive.

Both Mr Mann and his wife have spoken of their fears that he will be tortured in prison. His Channel 4 News interview is believed to include his assurances that he has been "well treated" since his arrival – something his family does not believe.

Speaking after her husband's arrival in Equatorial Guinea, Amanda Mann said his legal team in Harare had no idea the deportation was taking place.

She said: "They must have drugged him and paid off the guards. Simon would not have left the prison without screaming and shouting."

A spokesman for the family added: "To broadcast an interview obtained in these circumstances would be grossly irresponsible. Given the circumstances of his detention, it is inconceivable that Simon Mann could freely have given his consent to the interview."

A spokesman for Channel 4 News said: "We asked Mr Mann if he wished to be interviewed. He said yes and told our reporter so.

"We would not be intending to broadcast this interview if it were not in accordance with Mr Mann's wishes. This is responsible journalism on a matter of significant public interest."

The broadcaster said it would be appealing against the injunction. A full hearing is due to take place later this week.

Sir Mark Thatcher was fined after admitting in plea bargaining with South African authorities that he had financed the leasing of a helicopter, but that he had no idea it might be used for a coup.

A friend of Sir Mark said he had the "greatest sympathy for the dreadful situation Simon Mann finds himself in", adding: "He must be very frightened and under considerable distress and Mark's heart goes out to him, poor man.

"As far as the alleged coup is concerned, everything Mark has had to say to the South African authorities is a matter of public record."

[Esteban]

El próximo 11-M (menuda fecha) el Tribunal Supremo va a decidir sobre el estatuto de refugiado político de Severo Moto, retirado por el gobierno socialista en 2005. Aparte, su jefe de seguridad fue detenido hace unos días por su presunta implicación en temas de tráfico de armas.

Severo Moto planea regresar a Guinea tan pronto como el Supremo decida si renueva su asilo en España

El dirigente opositor y presidente del autoconstituido Gobierno de Guinea Ecuatorial en el Exilio, Severo Moto Nsa, tiene previsto regresar a su país 'tan pronto' como el Tribunal Supremo decida si renueva o retira definitivamente su asilo político en España, lo cual está previsto para el próximo 11 de marzo, según declaró hoy a Europa Press el vicepresidente del Gobierno en el Exilio, Armengol Engonga.

El viaje estaba inicialmente previsto para el pasado 25 de febrero, coincidiendo con el vigesimoquinto aniversario de la fundación de su formación, el Partido del Progreso. No obstante, se decidió aplazarlo, por recomendación de su abogado, a la espera de la decisión del Supremo. 'El viaje se va a hacer tan pronto como se dilucide su situación legal', explicó Engonga.

Moto ya se ha puesto en contacto, a través de sendas cartas, con las autoridades y las formaciones parlamentarias españolas para avisarles de su intención de 'informarles de su proyecto de retorno' y para pedir su apoyo.

Entre las instituciones a las que se han remitido estas cartas, según Armengol Engonga, se encuentran la Corona, la Presidencia del Gobierno, el Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores y Cooperación y 'todos los partidos del arco parlamentario'. También se ha dirigido con este fin a las Embajadas de Estados Unidos y Reino Unido.

'No es la primera vez' que Moto vuelve a Guinea Ecuatorial, explicó. 'Ya regresó en 1992 y permaneció hasta 1996, haciendo oposición y haciendo política', añadió. 'Mucha gente quisiera que Severo Moto muriese en el exilio, son intereses espurios que nos constan, pero no es nuestro problema, la oposición no se debe hacer en el exilio, se debe hacer en casa', declaró.

LA RENOVACIÓN DEL ASILO

Armengol Engonga se mostró 'optimista' respecto a la decisión del Supremo. 'Que un hombre que lleva entre los españoles veinte años haya recibido estas acusaciones ha dejado perplejos a los del Supremo, y esta perplejidad nos hace ser optimistas', afirmó.

El Consejo de Ministros revocó en diciembre de 2005 el estatuto de refugiado político del que disfrutaba Moto desde 1986 a causa de 'su participación en diversos golpes de Estado' contra el régimen de Teodoro Obiang y 'de acuerdo con la legislación reguladora de la concesión del estatuto de asilo y de refugiado' que está fijada por la ley española de 1994 y la Convención de Ginebra.

Concretamente, el Gobierno justificó esta decisión por su presunta participación en los intentos de golpe de Estado de mayo de 1997, así como en febrero y marzo de 2004, a lo que se sumó un viaje a Croacia en marzo de 2005, 'para entablar diferentes contactos con empresarios vinculados con negocios petrolíferos y de compraventa de armas'. Tras perder su recurso ante el Consejo de Ministros el 9 de febrero de 2006, Moto anunció su intención de recurrir ante el Tribunal Supremo.

DETENIDO EL JEFE DE SEGURIDAD

Armengol Engonga no quiso pronunciarse sobre la detención del jefe de seguridad de Moto, Damián Motu 'Mutti', quien --según informó hoy el diario 'El Mundo'-- fue arrestado a las cuatro de la tarde de ayer a la salida de la comisaría de Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid), adonde había acudido a petición de la Policía para solucionar algunos problemas relacionados con la tramitación de su nacionalidad española. Al parecer, los agentes le detuvieron 'por tráfico de armas y asociación ilítica'.

'La primera noticia la tuvimos ayer por la tarde, y su abogado está interesándose y viendo su situación', explicó a Europa Press. 'Mientras tanto no quiero pronunciarme porque no sé en qué consiste la acusación', añadió.

Fuentes de la oposición en el exilio explicaron hoy a Europa Press que 'Mutti' vive en Torrejón en una situación económica muy precaria ('no tiene donde caerse muerto') y consideraron muy extraño que pueda dedicarse a traficar con armas. 'Es un pobre chaval, que es muy forofo de Moto, eso sí', indicaron bajo anonimato.

Damián Motu es un veterano dirigente del Partido del Progreso que ya había sido arrestado por la Policía de su país en Bata (capital de la región continental de Guinea Ecuatorial) en noviembre de 1998 en el marco de una oleada de detenciones de opositores. Había sido denunciado a la Policía por Omar Bensala, coordinador general de la Asociación de Hijos de Obiang (ASHO).

http://actualidad.terra.es/internaciona ... 306813.htm

[Esteban]

Ajá, un juez británico autoriza la emisión de la entrevista de Channel 4 a Simon Mann en Black Beach

EXCLUSIVE: Judge rules jail interview with Dog of War Simon Mann, in which he names UK Ministers, can be broadcast
Dog of War Simon Mann to name ministers in Africa coup plot

By IAN GALLAGHER - More by this author » Last updated at 13:29pm on 9th March 2008


Channel 4 has won a legal battle to broadcast an interview with a mercenary in which he sensationally names British political figures, including Ministers, alleged to have given tacit approval to a plot to overthrow an oil-rich African state.

In testimony that could prove highly damaging to the Government, former SAS officer Simon Mann talks 'frankly' about the events leading to the botched attempt to topple Equatorial Guinea's president.

On Friday, Channel 4 dramatically overturned an injunction preventing it from transmitting the interview.

Channel 4 has won a legal battle to broadcast an interview with mercenary Simon Mann in which he sensationally names British political figures involved in the Africa coup plot

It is not clear exactly how much of the footage the broadcaster intends to screen, or when, but one source close to the case warned that "it will probably cause many people sleepless nights in the meantime".

The resolution of the extraordinary legal wrangle in the High Court in London last week served only to raise questions about why it was fought in the first place.

It was initiated by Anthony Kerman, a lawyer acting on the 'general instructions' of Mr Mann's wife Amanda, but not the former SAS man himself.

Among the key questions raised by the action is why Mrs Mann should seek to silence her husband, especially when naming names could well, as Equatorial Guinea has suggested, be his ticket to freedom.

In exclusive pictures obtained by The Mail on Sunday, Simon Mann is seen laughing and joking with interviewer Jonathan Miller. He appears to be in good health and the jail is obviously clean and hygienic

And would it not be better to keep him at the forefront of the public conscience by allowing the broadcast, which shows him looking well?

The Mail on Sunday has obtained exclusive pictures taken during the interview, in which Mann appears fit, healthy and in good humour, laughing and joking with Channel 4 News's foreign affairs correspondent Jonathan Miller.

The prison is clean and freshly painted, and although Mann is shackled and handcuffs, his jailers have taken care to wind cloth around his leg irons so the metal does not rub against his skin. They have also removed his shoelaces, for fear he could use them to hang himself.

It is understood Mrs Mann became aware of the Channel 4 interview only after it had taken place, when the broadcaster approached her for an interview. But she refused, and contacted Mr Kerman, who immediately began legal proceedings.

Mr Kerman is a close associate of Ely Calil, a Lebanese financier and oil trader with a £100million fortune, whom Mr Mann names in the interview as one of the men who funded the coup.

In turn, Mr Calil is linked to EU Commissioner Peter Mandelson, who was drawn into the murky affair when he was alleged to have privately met Mr Calil and another businessman accused of backing the coup, just weeks after it was thwarted.

It was Mr Calil who offered his West London flat to Mr Mandelson when the former Northern Ireland Secretary was embroiled in the scandal over an undisclosed loan from fellow Minister Geoffrey Robinson.

Mr Calil has consistently denied any involvement in the attempted coup and in November 2004 a spokesman for Peter Mandelson said: "Mr Mandelson categorically denies ever speaking to Mr Calil or to anybody else about the coup."

Mr Calil has also denied discussing it with Mr Mandelson.

Despite Friday's victory, Channel 4's legal battle may not yet be over, as it is understood that Mr Calil is seeking his own injunction against the interview.

Mr Justice Eady heard representations from his lawyers in the High Court last week – but told them he wanted to hear the Mann versus Channel 4 case first.

Britain and America are long thought to have known about the plot in advance. In 2004 Jack Straw, then Foreign Secretary, was forced to retract Foreign Office claims that the Government had no advance warning.

There is speculation that the claims made by Mr Mann may force Scotland Yard to revive its own inquiry into the affair, not least because it is widely thought the plot was hatched in London.

Anthony Kerman sought an injunction on the instructions of Amanda Mann

Mr Mann is also said to heavily implicate Sir Mark Thatcher in the plot, alleging his role extended much further than has previously been suggested.

Sources close to the case revealed last night that ITN had written to Sir Mark, asking him to comment on these claims but he is understood to have refused on the grounds that he had already made a full statement to the South African police and now regards the matter as closed.

A spokesman for Sir Mark said last night: "As we have not seen the programme, we cannot possibly comment."

Mr Mann was arrested in Zimbabwe in March 2004 when he and 68 South African and Angolan mercenaries arrived in Harare on a Boeing 727, allegedly en route to Equatorial Guinea. The aircraft was due to be loaded with £100,000 worth of arms.

Mann was convicted of breaching Zimbabwe's immigration laws and had served almost four years in jail before being deported to Equatorial Guinea, where he is being held in the notorious Black Beach prison. His wife has said he was effectively "kidnapped".

What is also puzzling about this increasingly complex affair is Mrs Mann's willingness to engage in a bizarre slanging match with the Equatorial Guinea government.

She has repeated unsubstantiated claims about President Teodoro Obiang Nguema threatening to "personally sodomise" her husband and skin him alive.

"It was like a dagger to my heart when I heard he was in Black Beach jail," said Mrs Mann. "One of the things that fills me with fear is that they will beat the living daylights out of him, that it could be happening as I speak, or that there will be one of those 'accidents' that happen in these places."

President Obiang has hit back through his ambassador to London, Agustin Nze Nfumu, pointing out that Mrs Mann has "never approached any Equatorial Guinea authorities...to request access to Simon Mann".

In an interview last month Mrs Mann explained why she has never been to visit her husband in prison.

She said: "I've never gone to Zimbabwe because Simon did not want me to. He did not want our love to be shattered by the emotional pain we would both suffer if I saw him in jail. And what if something happened to me in this unlawful country [Equatorial Guinea]? I have four children who need their mother."

It has further been claimed that Channel 4 has been 'used' by Equatorial Guinea.

Mr Mann's family say the former soldier, who has always denied involvement in the plot, has not made such claims about Mr Calil and others before, and could not have consented to the interview, although Channel 4 insists it was carried out "in accordance with his wishes".

Initially his family sought, and were granted, an injunction banning the broadcast. But their legal team "shifted its position" on Friday after Mr Mann's sister Sarah and brother Edward returned from Equatorial Guinea after visiting him in jail.

They are said to have brought back a letter from Mr Mann in which he asked for the interview – which was conducted two weeks ago – to be broadcast.

Mr Mann has always insisted he was only providing security for the diamond industry in the Democratic Republic of Congo at the time of his arrest. But he was sentenced to seven years' jail in Zimbabwe, reduced to four years for good behaviour.

He fought attempts by Equatorial Guinea to extradite him, but his appeal was rejected in January, on the eve of his release, and he was sent to Black Beach.

Last year, Mr Mann was reportedly offered a deal by the Equatorial Guinean government in which he would be allowed to go home if he named those behind the 2004 plot.

Mr Mann now faces a trial over the coup plot next week, during which government-appointed judges will almost certainly find him guilty. But the appointment of a local lawyer to his case last week brought fresh hope of his release – no matter what the outcome in court.

Attorney Ponciano Mbomio Nvo suggested the Equatorial Guinean president would face "international pressure" for Mr Mann's release. He added: "The President has said he has no interest in keeping Mr Mann after the judgment is made."

Channel 4 refused to make any comment after the injunction was lifted. But before the hearing, a spokesman said:

"We would not be intending to broadcast this interview if it were not in accordance with Mr Mann's wishes. This is responsible journalism on a matter of significant public interest."

Sir Mark Thatcher, the son of former Prime Minister Lady Thatcher and an old friend of Mr Mann, was fined £265,000 and received a suspended four-year prison sentence in South Africa for helping finance the alleged coup.

But he escaped jail thanks to a plea bargain in which it was accepted that he "unwittingly" helped bankroll the attempt.

Sir Mark was a neighbour of the Manns in Constantia, an affluent suburb of Cape Town, to which the Manns moved in 1999, after Mr Mann had already established himself as a mercenary.

Along with British financier Tony Buckingham he had set up Executive Outcomes in 1993. Two years later – the same year that he married Amanda – he set up Sandline International with Lieutenant Colonel Tim Spicer.

It was an enterprise that supposedly made the men £5.6million shipping arms to Sierra Leone, in direct contravention of the UN embargo.

Simon's ventures also bought the Manns a Palladian mansion in Exbury, Southampton. Amanda already owned a flat on London's fashionable Portobello Road, Notting Hill – insurance, she once joked, "against a man letting me down".

Yet in the months, before the alleged coup attempt, Mann confided in a neighbour that, in spite of his fortunes, he did not feel that he had "enough money to live on". Or at least, perhaps, not in the style to which he and his wife had become accustomed.

During their time in South Africa, Mr Mann forged a close friendship with Mark Thatcher. Sir Mark positively "hero-worshipped" Mr Mann, according to his former wife Diane. He had always, she said, "been a bit of a soldier wannabe" himself.

At first the Thatchers believed that Mr Mann was "just a soldier" and that his tales of derring-do in Angola and with the SAS were things of the past.

"Then it came up in dinner conversation that he was a mercenary," Diane said. The seed for the future failed endeavour was planted.

While Mann has always denied that his presence in Zimbabwe in 2004 was part of an attempted coup, he has never presented any evidence to support his case.

At the same time, evidence against him and his team, in the form of documents and statements by participants have, insiders claim, revealed the whole plan in fine detail.

More intriguing, if less conclusive, is the evidence against the alleged financiers of the attempt to place exiled president Severo Moto back in charge of Equatorial Guinea. Which is where Ely Calil, friend of Mark Thatcher and a known supporter of Moto, returns to the picture.

Seemingly convinced of his role in the plot, Equatorial Guinea is already attempting to pursue Mr Calil through the courts for his substantial fortune.

Soon after Mr Mann's arrest South African police intercepted a letter to his wife which supposedly included a "Wonga list" naming Smelly (a nickname for Calil) and Scratcher (code for Mark Thatcher) among many other alleged financiers.

But immediately after the coup attempt, no police action was taken against the alleged plotters who remained in London.

Eventually an investigation was launched by the Anti Terrorist Branch but, with the 7/7 and 21/7 terrorist attacks on London, resources were pulled on to those investigations.

Inquiries were further hampered by problems obtaining documents held by South Africa, Zimbabwe, Equatorial Guinea and Spain.

Should Mann now speak openly about his financial backers, it would be a compelling reason to restart the police investigation.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/a ... ge_id=1811

[Loopster]

Los libaneses... donde van la lian, dicen que el pez gordo libanés en Guinea se dió el piro tras el movidón de Bata de las lanchas y los atracos. ¿Sustituido por los chinos?