News:
September 15, 2010
The Member of Parliament for Ablekuma South, Hon. Fritz Bafour says the cordial relationship that currently exist between President Attah Mills and President Teodore Obiang Nguema Mbasongo of Equitorial Guinea must be seen as purely diplomatic.
The Daily Searchlight newspaper edition of today sought to question why President Mills who is regarded as very democratic will have President Mbasongo who has ruled his country for more than thirty years(30) after a bloody coup as a close friend, a relationship that the paper sees as problematic.
One of Africa’s worst dictators, President Mbasongo’s regime retained clear authoritarian characteristics even after other parties were legalized in 1991. Most domestic and international observers consider his regime to be one of the most corrupt, ethnocentric, oppressive and undemocratic states in the world. Equatorial Guinea is now essentially a single-party state, dominated by Obiang’s Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea.
But speaking on e.tv Ghana breakfast show today, the Member of Parliament for Ablekuma South, Hon. Fritz Bafour stated that he does not see the fuss about President Mills’s friendship with President Mbasongo, as former President Kufour was also a close friend of the latter.
‘’Yes it is true that President Mills appears to be a close pal of President Mbasongo ,with the two leaders visiting each other but this is all in the interest of Ghana and not in President Mills parochial interest’’ he said.
Hon Fritz Bafour noted that due to the good relationship between the two countries, Ghana in recent times has benefited immensely as Equatorial Guinea has on several occasions supplied crude oil to Ghana when the country was in dire need of the product.
Story : Kwadwo Anim/ghanamps.gov.gh