Equatorial Guinea: national dialogue in the absence of the main opponents

In Equatorial Guinea, the national dialogue opened on Monday, July 16, in the absence of the opposition in exile, despite the strong signs posted by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema who, on July 4, proclaimed the total amnesty for all political prisoners and all those who were condemned or banned from activity. This announcement of an amnesty for political prisoners has remained, until now, a dead letter.

Are we going to a failure of the national dialogue in Equatorial Guinea? It opened this Monday morning in Malabo. This is the sixth framework initiated by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema since his accession to power in 1979.

This dialogue raised many expectations, but the opposition in exile made the trip to Malabo , calling into question any opportunity to discuss with the ruling party.

This seminar was to last two weeks and was to be a round table to discuss with opponents issues such as democracy or human rights. [19659003] This meeting was also, according to the authorities, allowed to legalize some opposition parties, but it will eventually be held in a restricted circle with only the 17 parties legalized in the country and who confirmed their participation.

«[19459006OnMondaynomajorfigureoftheoppositioninexilemadethemovenoted an observer of political life.

The opposition had three conditions to his participation the arrival of international observers, the total amnesty and the release of political prisoners. However, these last two points are not respected, says Sévero Moto, one of the major figures of the opposition in exile.

" The amnesty concerned almost only leaders already dead in detention ]

In this state of mistrust, this historical opponent is also not convinced by the assurances given by the presidency to guarantee the security of the opponents to their return to Malabo.

" The amnesty announced by the government does not guarantee our security ," says Raimundo Ela Nsang, the secretary general of Cored, the coalition of opposition parties in France . " In the past," he said, "militants returned home following a similar amnesty announcement and were killed ," he says.

Finally, no activist incarcerated and a member of the opposition Citizens for Innovation (CI) party was not released until the seminar. Thirty activists from the Citizens for Innovation Party are still in detention. In such a context " we expect nothing from this dialogue ," says Gabriel Nse Obiang, leader of this political party.

Finally, the CPDS, the Convergence for Social Democracy, the second largest political party opposition, requires concrete progress in the rule of law. Andres Esono Ondo, the secretary general of this party, claims a " transition process ".