Equatorial Guinea Relocates Capital

(MENAFN) Equatorial Guinea has formally transferred its capital from Malabo, situated on Bioko Island, to Ciudad de la Paz on the mainland, according to an announcement from the government’s press office on Friday.

Following the signing of a presidential decree by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, which mandated the shift of the governmental headquarters inland, officials explained that the move was largely motivated by “the policy of structuring the national territory” along with heightened safety considerations.

“The relocation of the nation’s capital, from a security standpoint, is a crucial step, given that the government has been the victim of several attacks originating from abroad via maritime routes,” the official statement declared.

Authorities highlighted past incidents that underscored the risks of a coastal capital, including maritime assaults such as bank heists in Bata in 2007 and an armed strike on the Presidential Palace in Malabo in 2009.

The transition of the capital was portrayed as a strategy to minimize exposure to threats and to create a sturdier and more protected defensive setting.

In addition to security, the administration emphasized that the decision represents a symbolic departure from the nation’s colonial heritage, more than five decades after independence.

Leaders noted that the relocation enables the government to distance itself from “obsolete colonial structures” that are incompatible with Equatorial Guinea’s “modernization” ambitions.

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