Equatorial Guinea denies sending Russia troops to fight in Ukraine

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MALABO - Equatorial Guinea's vice president on Saturday denied the central African country was sending troops to fight alongside Russian soldiers in Ukraine, contrary to an AFP report published earlier this week.

Taking aim at an article in Le Monde, credited to the French newspaper with AFP, Teodoro Nguema Obiang likewise denied that the small Spanish-speaking nation on the Atlantic coast had hired Russian mercenaries.

It cited the newspaper Diario Rombe, based in Spain and close to Equatorial Guinea's exiled opposition, which said that the country's military agreements with Russia include a recruitment operation for the Kremlin's offensive in Ukraine.

"I come to deny the information about the sending of Equatorial Guinean troops to Russia to fight in Ukraine; this is a falsehood," Nguema, son of longtime autocrat Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, wrote on X.

According to the vice president, young Equatorial Guineans who go to Russia "do not go to war, but to train in the prestigious universities of the Russian Federation".

And "at the end of their studies, (they) proudly return to the country to contribute to the defence of the homeland", added the vice president, known by his nickname Teodorin.

Published on Friday, the AFP article reported, citing sources in the capital, Malabo, that Russian mercenaries were present in the country for the personal security of President Nguema, the nation's ruler for the past 45 years, and his family.

"Here we do not have mercenaries but instructors who help us in the framework of cooperation and collaboration with Russia, as well as with other friendly countries for the training of human resources in the defence and security sector," Vice President Teodorin said.

The 2024 military agreements refer to the dispatch of Russian instructors for military training purposes.

But according to military sources, no such training has been organised since the first Russian contingent arrived in August 2024.

Meanwhile, foreign paramilitaries continue to arrive in the country along with equipment, weapons and vehicles, according to security sources contacted by AFP.

Their current number is estimated at around 300, the same sources added.

Under the Obiang family, freedom of expression has been limited in the former Spanish colony.