- The United States today reopened its embassy in Malabo after closing it down in 1995 due to the Equatoguinean regime's total disrespect of human rights. While the human rights situation only has become worse, Equatorial Guinea meanwhile has developed into sub-Saharan’s Africa third largest oil producer with a massive presence of US capital.
The US ambassador to Equatorial Guinea, George Staples - who has been residing in Yaoundé (Cameroon) during the last years - today joined Equatoguinean President Teodoro Obiang Nguema in the official reopening of the US embassy in Malabo.
The reopening of the US embassy has been plaid down by Washington, which seems keen to avoid any focus on the issue. There have been no official comments from the US Department of State, contrary to normal practices at such an event. State Department officials emphasised the new embassy would only be a "small mission", needed to service the 3000 US citizens currently working in Equatorial Guinea, mostly in the oil sector.
In Malabo, on the other hand, the reopening of the US embassy is seen as a diplomatic victory for the less and less internationally isolated Obiang regime. The Equatoguinean Foreign Ministry yesterday proudly told the press that the US now finally would put an end to the embarrassing vacation of its embassy in 1995.
The mid-1990s marked a terrible period for the Obiang regime. International pressure on the impoverished state was high to go through with the promised democratisation process and improve on human rights conditions. Diplomatic pressure was linked with financial pressure, and within few years, both the World Bank and the US embassy pulled out of the country.
The US withdrawal was officially blamed on "budgetary constraints", but Washington insiders made it clear that the US in fact had made a demonstrative move in protest against the human rights abuses and misgoverning of the Obiang regime. Since 1995, the empty US embassy building in Malabo has been a symbol of international solidarity for repressed Equatoguineans.
But in the same year as the Americans closed their Malabo embassy, the first offshore oil was found in Equatorial Guinea. Since that, investments have been streaming into the country, mainly from the US and France. Isolation turned into economic cooperation, which led to lowered pressure on the Obiang regime. In 2001, even the UN human rights Rapporteur was withdrawn from Equatorial Guinea after successful lobbying from the regime.
Meanwhile, only Nigerian and Angola in sub-Saharan Africa produce more oil Equatorial Guinea. The oil sector is further dominated by US-based companies. The Spanish ex-colony of 500,000 inhabitants has more than doubled its GDP per capita since year 2000. Poverty is however rampant and unchanged as the entire oil wealth is channelled to the ruling oligarchy.
The reopening of the US embassy in Malabo did not come as a surprise, as it was announced last year. Also, during the last years Malabo's economic ties to Washington have grown stranger than to the ex-colonial power.
During the oil boom, most investments have come from US government agencies and US private companies, making Equatorial Guinea one of Africa's largest US investment receivers. US citizens are now the only foreigners not needing a visa to Equatorial Guinea. Further, Dictator Obiang and his extended family are believed to have deposed most of the country's oil revenues on private accounts in US banks.
The improved Malabo-Washington relations were again demonstrated last month, when Equatorial Guinea signed a so-called impunity deal with the US government. These controversial "Article 98 agreements" are designed to exempt US citizens from prosecution in the International Criminal Court. The deal was signed by US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, and President Obiang during the latter's visit to Washington on 25 September.
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