Armed Forces of Equatorial Guinea

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Template:Short description Template:More citations needed Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox national military

The Armed Forces of Equatorial Guinea (Template:Langx; Template:Langx; Template:Langx) consists of approximately 2,500 service members. The army has almost 1,400 soldiers, the navy 200 service members, and the air force about 120 members.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". There is also a gendarmerie, but the number of members is unknown. The Gendarmerie is a new branch of the service in which training and education is being supported by the French Military Cooperation in Equatorial Guinea.[1] Military appointments are all reviewed by President Teodoro Obiang, and few of the native militiamen come from outside of Obiang's Mongomo-based Esangui clan. Obiang was a general when he overthrew his uncle, Francisco Macías Nguema.

History

File:Equatorial Guinea Map.png
Map of Equatorial Guinea elaborated by CIA in 1992.

The Armed Forces were reorganized in 1979. In 1988, the United States donated a 68-foot patrol boat to the Equatoguinean navy to patrol its exclusive economic zone. The U.S. patrol boat Isla de Bioko is no longer operational.[2] U.S. military-to-military engagement has been dormant since 1997 (the year of the last Joint Combined Exchange Training exercise). Between 1984 and 1992, service members went regularly to the United States on the International Military Education Training program, after which funding for this program for Equatorial Guinea ceased. The government spent 6.5% of its annual budget on defense in 2000 and 4.5% of its budget on defense in 2001. It recently acquired some Chinese artillery pieces, some Ukrainian patrol boats, and some Ukrainian helicopter gunships. Cooper and Weinert 2010 says that all aircraft are based on the military side of Malabo International Airport.[3]

In 2002, an International Consortium of Investigative Journalists report said:

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"The oil companies do not view Equatorial Guinea's military – a product of decades of brutal dictatorial rule – with much confidence. The army is believed to have only about 1,320 men under arms, the navy 120, and the air force 100. Seven of the army's nine generals are relatives of the president; the other two are from his tribe. There is no clear command structure, the level of discipline is low, and professionalism and training are almost non-existent, according to locals and foreign oil workers. Even the presidential guard – an indication of the lack of trust in the country's forces – is composed of 350 Moroccan troops."[4]

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Equipment

Armour

File:T-55 4.jpg
A T-55 Main Battle Tank
Name Origin Type In service Notes
Armored fighting vehicle
T-55 Soviet Union Main battle tank 3[5]
BRDM-2 Soviet Union Armored scout car 6[5]
BMP-1 Soviet Union IFV 20[5] Acquired from the Czech Republic in 2007.[6]
BTR-152 Soviet Union Armoured personnel carrier 10[5]
Reva South Africa Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected 25[5]
WZ-551 China IFV Unknown number, IFV, recovery and fire-support variants seen.[7]
Pantsir-S1 Russia Anti-aircraft artillery 2[8][9]
File:RPG-7 detached.jpg
An RPG-7 Rocket-propelled grenade launcher

Small arms

Name Origin Type Notes
AKM Soviet Union Assault rifle
FN FAL Belgium Battle rifle
RPD Soviet Union Light machine gun
RPG-7 Soviet Union Rocket-propelled grenade
Type 56 China Assault rifle
SKS/Type 56 Carbine Soviet Union/China Semi-automatic carbine

Aircraft

The Equatorial Guinea Air Corps was founded in 1979 with mainly French and Spanish air frames. In 2005, 4 Su 25s including 2 Su-25UB combat trainers were delivered to the Equatorial Guinea Air Corps.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". The current status of the aircraft is unknown.[10] In 2015 two CASA C-295 (one transport and one surveillance) aircraft were ordered for delivery from September 2016.[11]

File:Antonov An-72P, Equatorial Guinea - Air Force AN1593110.jpg
An Antonov An-72P on lift off

Current inventory

Aircraft Origin Type Variant In service Notes
Combat aircraft
Sukhoi Su-25 Russia attack 4[12]
Transport
Ilyushin Il-76 Soviet Union heavy transport 1[13]
Antonov AN-12 Soviet Union heavy transport 1[12]
Antonov An-72 Soviet Union transport An-72P 2 [14]
Let L-410 Turbolet Czech Republic transport 2[12]
Antonov An-32 Soviet Union transport An-32B 1 [14]
Dassault Falcon 900 France VIP transport 1 [14]
Helicopters
Mil Mi-24 Soviet Union attack Mi-24P/V 7[13][14]
Kamov Ka-27 Russia utility Ka-29 1[12]
Mil Mi-26 Russia utility / transport 1[12]
Mil Mi-17 Soviet Union utility 1[14]
Harbin Z-9 China utility Z-9WE 2[15]
Bell 206 United States utility 1[13]
Enstrom 480 United States utility 1[14]
Trainer aircraft
Aero L-39 Czech Republic jet trainer 2[12]

Navy

File:US Navy 080202-N-8933S-006 Landing Craft Utility (LCU) 1655 leads the Equatorial Guinea Navy in formation behind Africa Partnership Station (APS) flagship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43), a dock landing ship, as they pass along the E.jpg
Joint U.S.-Equatorial Guinea naval exercises off the coast of Equatorial Guinea on February 2, 2008. Behind the American landing craft 1655 sail three Guinean patrol boats, the first being the patrol boat Daphne and the other two being Isla de Corisco and Isla de Annobon.

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". The Equatorial Guinean main task is to counter piracy and robbery at sea. In July 2010, after the visit of Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, an order for a Barroso-class corvette was announced.[16][17] However, Template:As of no further news has been announced.[18] On 3 June 2014, the frigate Wele Nzas was commissioned and became the navy's flagship.[19]

Vessel Origin Type In service Notes
Wele Nzas (F073) Bulgaria Frigate 1[20][19] Ukrainian designed - modified locally[21]
Bata Bulgaria Corvette 1[22] Ukrainian design[19][23]
PV-50 Ukraine Patrol vessel 2[20]
Isla de Corisco Israel Patrol boat 1[20] Template:Sclass2
Isla de Annobon Israel Patrol boat 1[20] Shaldag class
Sa'ar 4 class Israel Patrol boat 2[24]
Osa China Landing ship 1[24] Salamandra class
Daphne Denmark Patrol boat 1[24]

Higher education and training

On 6 November 2016, the Zimbabwe Defence Forces deployed a training contingent to the Equatorial Guinea to train the country's military officers on operational and logistic matters following an urgent request by the West African country. The security personnel contingent is composed of members of the Zimbabwe National Army and Air Force of Zimbabwe.[25] In 2018, 28 graduates from the military received diplomas from the Nakhimov Naval Academy in Sevastopol.[26]

Notes

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References

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Further reading

Template:Military of Africa

  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ U.S. Department of State, Equatorial Guinea Background Note 01/02
  3. ↑ Cooper and Weinert 2010, p142
  4. ↑ Sunday Dare, The Curious Bonds of Oil Diplomacy Template:Webarchive, Center for Public Integrity, 6 November 2002
  5. ↑ a b c d e Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ Equatorial Guinea buys Pantsir S1 Air Defense System
  9. ↑ Army-2017: Equatorial Guinea purchases two KBP's Pantsir-S1 air defense systems 2508172
  10. ↑ "Equatorial Guinea National Guard". Scramble.nl. Retrieved: 3 January 2009. Template:Webarchive
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ a b c d e f Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ a b c d e f Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Las Fuerzas Armadas de Guinea Ecuatorial se dotan con dos helicópteros chinos Harbin Z-9
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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