Leaked Videos Maybe Part of Equatorial Guinea Power Struggle

What the world has seen as a sex video scandal may be part of a recent real-life power struggle over who will be the next president of Equatorial Guinea.
In the past two weeks, hundreds of explicit videos involving a high-ranking government official from Equatorial Guinea with various women have circulated on social media.

These videos flooded social platforms, shocking people within the small Central African nation and beyond.

Many of the women recorded were wives and relatives of prominent officials close to the official’s office at the Ministry of Finance.

Some appear aware they were being recorded while engaging in sexual acts with Baltasar Ebang Engonga, also known as “Bello” for his “good looks.”

However, it’s challenging to confirm all the details, as Equatorial Guinea enforces strict media control with little press freedom.

There’s speculation that this leak was a calculated move to undermine or embarrass the person at the center of the controversy.

Mr. Engonga is the nephew of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema and one of the potential successors to the presidency.

Obiang, who has ruled since 1979, is the longest-serving president in office.

The 82-year-old leader oversaw an economic boom, though recent downturns are attributed to declining oil reserves.

While a small elite and wealthy class exists, most of the country’s 1.7 million residents live in poverty.

Obiang’s administration has faced criticism for its human rights record, including allegations of extrajudicial killings and torture, according to U.S. reports.

Scandals have also dogged the regime, including lavish revelations about one of the president’s sons, who now serves as vice president. He reportedly owned a $275,000 (£210,000) crystal-studded glove once worn by Michael Jackson.

Despite holding regular elections, Equatorial Guinea lacks genuine opposition; activists are imprisoned or exiled, and those remaining are closely monitored.

Politics in this country are said to involve intense rivalries over presidential succession, bringing Mr. Engonga’s scandal into focus.

He headed the national Financial Intelligence Unit and worked on combating financial crimes, such as money laundering.

However, he himself came under investigation.

He was arrested on October 25 on allegations of embezzling large sums from the state treasury, allegedly transferring funds to a secret account in the Cayman Islands.

He has not responded to these accusations.

Following his arrest, Mr. Engonga was detained at the notorious Black Beach prison in the capital, Malabo, where government opponents reportedly face harsh treatment.

His phones and computers were seized, and a few days later, the videos began circulating online.

The first video, viewed by the BBC on Facebook, appeared on October 28 on the page of Diario Rombe, a news site run by an exiled journalist in Spain, describing the leaked images and videos as “shocking social media.”

A post on X the following day referenced a “scandal shaking the government” as “sex videos flood social media.”

However, the clips first surfaced on Telegram days earlier on a channel known for sharing explicit content.

From there, they spread to WhatsApp groups in Equatorial Guinea, sparking public outcry.

Mr. Engonga and several women in the videos, including relatives of the president and wives of ministers and top military officials, were quickly identified.

Unable to ignore the scandal, on October 30, Vice President Teodoro Obiang Mangue (who once owned Michael Jackson’s glove) ordered telecommunications companies to curb the spread of these videos.

“We cannot stand by and watch families being torn apart without action,” he wrote on X.

“At the same time, an investigation is underway to identify and hold those responsible for these posts accountable.”

Since the security forces had possession of Mr. Engonga’s devices, suspicions fell on someone potentially trying to discredit him ahead of his trial.

Police have urged the women involved to come forward and file complaints against Mr. Engonga for distributing intimate images without their consent.

One woman has already declared her intention to press charges.

The reason behind Mr. Engonga’s recordings remains unclear.

However, activists question the motives behind this massive leak.

In addition to his family ties to the president, Mr. Engonga is the son of Baltasar Engonga Edjo’o, a powerful figure who heads the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC).

“What we are witnessing is the end of an era, of the current president, and this is just one of the internal tensions playing out,” said activist Nsang Christia Esimi Cruz, now based in London.

Speaking with BBC Focus on Africa, he claimed that Vice President Obiang was trying to eliminate “anyone who could threaten his succession.”

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema won nearly 95% of the vote in elections held two years ago.

The vice president, along with his mother, is suspected of sidelining anyone who threatens his path to the presidency, including Gabriel Obiang Lima (another son of President Obiang from a different wife), who served as oil minister for ten years before being reassigned.

For the elite, who are rumored to know things about each other they would prefer to keep private, videos have previously been used to humiliate and discredit political opponents.

Allegations of coup plots are also frequent, adding to the climate of unease.

Mr. Cruz further claims the authorities intend to use this scandal as an excuse to suppress social media, which has become a primary source of inside information about the country.

In July, authorities temporarily shut down the internet after protests erupted on the island of Annobón.

For many, the revelation that a high-ranking official was having extramarital affairs is unsurprising, as it is reportedly part of the lifestyles of the country’s elite.

The vice president, who himself was convicted of corruption in France and stripped of his assets in multiple countries, seeks to portray himself as the enforcer against corruption and misconduct within his nation.

Last year, for instance, he ordered the arrest of his brother for allegedly selling a government-owned plane.

But despite the vice president’s efforts to curb the spread of the videos, they remain accessible.

This week, he was seen calling for the installation of CCTV cameras in government offices “to curb misconduct in public workplaces,” reported a news outlet.

Saying the scandal “tarnished the nation’s image,” he ordered that any officials caught engaging in sexual activities at work would be suspended, as this was a “clear violation of ethical standards.”

Indeed, the incident has drawn widespread attention, both domestically and internationally.

According to Google, searches involving the country’s name have surged since the beginning of this week.

On Monday, “Equatorial Guinea” was one of the trending terms in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa – even outpacing interest in the U.S. elections.

Some activists, who have long tried to inform the world about the country’s issues, were taken aback by the sudden attention.

“Equatorial Guinea has far greater challenges than this sex scandal,” said Mr. Cruz, who works with the rights organization GE Nuestra.

“For us, this sex scandal is just a symptom of the illness, not the disease itself. It only reveals the depth of the flawed system.”

By Mpasho