Reports emerge of escalating repressive measures by the Obiang regime on the island of Annobón, while TGS begins major offshore seismic operations. Most other headlines appear unrelated to the country.
Equatorial Guinea is a small Central African state divided between a mainland (Río Muni) and islands including Bioko, where the former capital Malabo sits and a new capital, Ciudad de la Paz, is being built on the mainland. It is governed by President Teodoro Obiang, who has held power since 1979 in one of the world's longest-running personalist administrations, with a tightly controlled political system and concerns over governance and human rights raised by external observers. As the only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa (with Portuguese and French also official), it maintains ties to Spain, regional Central African bodies, and increasingly to China, while questions of succession within the ruling family are a key fault line to watch.