Introduction
Francisco MacÃas Nguema was, from 1968–79, the first post-colonial president of Equatorial Guinea. His 11 year reign of terror caused a third of the population to flee, the greatest refugee exodus by percentage of any country in modern history. He ordered the deaths of thousands of suspected opponents, closed down churches and presided over economic collapse. In 1979 he was overthrown by his nephew, and subsequently put on trial and sentenced to death.
Early Life
The son of a witch doctor, Francisco MacÃas Nguema was born on 1 Jan. 1924 in Oyen in the Woleu Nteu province of Gabon. He was raised in the village of Mongomo in what later became Equatorial Guinea. Despite failing the entrance exam on three occasions, MacÃas worked his way up the ranks of the civil service, becoming an assistant court translator in Mongomo in 1951. In 1963 he became mayor of Mongomo and the following year was appointed minister of public works in a transitional government.
In 1968 Spain granted...
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(2019). MacÃas Nguema, Francisco (Equatorial Guinea). In: The Statesman’s Yearbook Companion. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95839-9_463
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95839-9_463
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