Warship deployed near E Guinea

2004-03-18 22:33

Abuja - Nigeria has sent a warship to patrol off the coast of Equatorial Guinea amid claims that foreign mercenaries are seeking to overthrow the government there, said a senior Nigerian official on Thursday.

"It's just to register Nigeria's place as a peacemaking country, a country that delights in peace and tranquillity, not only for itself, but for its neighbours," said Remi Oyo, spokesperson for President Olusegun Obasanjo.

The ship was deployed from Nigeria's southeastern port of Calabar last weekend and is now patrolling off Bioko, Equatorial Guinea's main offshore island and the seat of its capital Malabo, according to reports in Nigeria.

Last week, the government of Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema arrested 15 foreign nationals and accused them of being mercenaries and of planning to launch a coup d'etat in favour of an exiled opposition leader.

Have significant oil fields

At the same time, Equatorial Guinean security forces began a sweep to round up suspected illegal immigrants, expelling hundreds of west and central Africans. More than 100 Nigerians took refuge in their embassy.

But Oyo emphasised that Nigeria remained a friend to its near neighbour, which lies just 100km off its southern coast. Both countries have significant oil fields under the Gulf of Guinea.

"Equatorial Guinea remains a close ally of Equatorial Guinea," she said.

"If there's a threat to peace anywhere, there's a threat to peace in Nigeria, there's a threat to peace in west Africa," she added.

Asked if Obiang's government had asked for the deployment, she said simply: "Our ship is there and Equatorial Guinea is not against it."

Nigeria has west Africa's most powerful military, and has been the backbone of international peacekeeping missions in Liberia and Sierra Leone, but has a limited naval strength based on four former World War II US patrol ships.

- AFP