The tiny oil-rich central African nation of Equatorial Guinea is
carrying on plans to erect a wall along its 183km-long border with
Cameroon.
The plans have sparked controversy with Cameroon
authorities because of concerns about encroachment into Cameroon’s
territory. Equato-Guinean officials are said to have already erected
milestones to demarcate the line along which the border wall will be
constructed.
The move, similar of US president Donald
Trump’s pledge to build the controversial US-Mexico border wall, has
angered Cameroon’s government. It dispatched its army chief of staff at
the end of July to the border town of Kye-Ossi for a situation report
and stationed elite forces along the border.
There has been a
history of border friction between Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea.
Tensions have been rising between the central African neighbors since
Equatorial Guinea discovered oil in the 1990s. The smaller country has
often blamed Cameroon for allowing illegal migrants from West and
Central Africa, especially Nigeria and Cameroon, to pass through en
route to Equatorial Guinea in search of economic opportunity. Eq Guinea
officials seems to fear an influx of foreigners will weaken efforts to
provide jobs to its citizens, majority of whom still live in poverty.
Equatorial
Guinea has also been especially keen on border security following the
arrest of 30 heavily armed men from Chad, Sudan and CAR along the border
in what it saw as an “attempted coup d’état by mercenaries.” The last
time Equatorial Guinea closed its border with Cameroon because of the
reported coupattempt in December 2017, it was only reopened in January
2019.
Over the last decade, Equatorial Guinea has become one of
Africa’s wealthiest countries as the fourth largest oil producing
country in Sub Saharan Africa but with a tiny population of just over 1
million. World Bank data shows it has a gross national income per capita
of $7,050 compared to neighbors like Cameroon of $1,440 or even
Nigeria’s of $1,960. At various points in the last 15 years, depending
on global oil prices, Equatorial Guinea has been informally designated
as Africa’s wealthiest country.
On paper Equatorial Guinea could
be seen as a booming country because of its abundant petroleum resources
and huge investments in infrastructure development, thus attracting
economic migrants. However, in terms of development indices, it is not
much better than Cameroon or other African countries because of
political corruption and the high-handedness of the Obiang family which
has ruled the country since independence in 1968. It is ranked 141st out
of 189 countries in the UN Human Development Index of 2018.
President
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, Africa’s longest serving ruler, has been
in power since August 1979 after ousting his uncle Francisco Macías
Nguema in a coup. Over his 40-year rule, he and has family have been
accused of mismanaging the country’s wealth while also scoring low on
both human rights and press freedom rankings.
President Obiang
Nguema as well as his son and likely successor, Teodoro Nguema Obiang
Mangue, who is vice president, have both been mired in allegations of
corruption and misappropriated public funds.
In 2017, a French
court slammed Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue a three-year suspended
sentence after finding him guilty of embezzling $175 million of public
funds to buy real estate, luxury cars and other assets. The playboy son
of president Obiang Nguema has also been under investigation by Swiss
authorities for financial crimes.
Besides causing a diplomatic
roar, critics of president Obiang’s action believe it contradicts
the spirit of the African Continental Free Trade Area and other similar
regional agreements for the free movement of persons and goods to which
the country has committed to.
The move by Equatorial Guinea is
counterproductive whatever the reasons advanced by its authorities and
goes a long way to compromise continental efforts, says Bama Etienne
Cham, senior trade policy advisor at the Cameroon National Shippers
Councils.
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