E Guinea appoints new PM

2008-07-08 21:41

Malabo - Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema has appointed a new prime minister after calling the preceding government "one of the worst ever", national radio reported on Tuesday.

He named to the post the current ambassador to former colonial rulers Spain, Ignacio Milam Tang, who has long been a member of the iron-fisted veteran president's closest entourage, the pair also sharing the same ethnic Fang background.

The nomination comes after Obiang claimed on Saturday that some in predecessor Ricardo Mangue Obama Nfubea's government had tried to destabilise the country, alluding to allegations that one minister was involved in a high-profile 2004 coup attempt.

British mercenary Simon Mann was sentenced to 34 years and four months in prison on Monday for leading the abortive coup, with his co-accused, British-based Mohamed Salaami, jailed for 18 years and three months. Both picked up additional fines and post-jail territorial bans.

Milam Tang is due to return from Madrid and form his new administration over the coming days.

Obiang has been in power since a 1979 coup which ousted his uncle, with campaigners frequently accusing the country of violating human rights.

The next presidential elections are slated for 2009.

Equatorial Guinea currently ranks as sub-Saharan Africa's third biggest crude oil producer and has had double digit economic growth for several years, although the population enjoys little of the wealth generated.

Most live in dire poverty and the country ranks 127th out of 177 countries in the UN Development Programme's human development index rankings, despite a per capita gross domestic product (GDP) of $7 874, making it the 73rd richest country in the world by GDP.

- AFP