Sumar denounces repression on Annobón Island and against the Bubi people in Equatorial Guinea

Eduardo González The Plurinational Parliamentary Group Sumar has called on the Government to condemn “clearly and expressly” the “serious and systematic human rights violations” on Annobón Island and against the Bubi people, and to “actively” promote international monitoring of the human rights situation in Equatorial Guinea before the United Nations and the European Union. In a non-binding motion registered on March 5 for debate in the Foreign Affairs Committee, Sumar recalls that “the independence process designed by the colonial administration of what was then Spanish Guinea, culminating in 1968, led to the creation of the State of Equatorial Guinea through the integration of territories and peoples with profound historical, ethnic, cultural, and linguistic differences.” In this context, the island of Annobón and the Bubi people, originally from Bioko Island (Fernando Poo Island), “were incorporated into the new State along with the mainland territory of Río Muni, despite not having any ethnic or linguistic ties with it and not having participated in an exercise of distinct self-determination.” Since then, it continues, “the island of Annobón has remained, according to repeated complaints from local representatives and international organizations, in a situation of structural marginalization,” and its population lives in conditions of extreme poverty, without regular access to essential services such as electricity, drinking water, basic healthcare, education, or medicine.” “This neglect is compounded by a permanent and coercive military presence, comprised mostly of personnel from outside the local community, which has been accused of violent repression against the civilian population,” including sexual abuse of women and girls, arbitrary detentions, torture, unlawful killings, and forced displacement of people, “as well as the systematic persecution of any form of peaceful protest against the living conditions on the island.” Furthermore, the minority party in Pedro Sánchez’s coalition government warns that the erosion of fundamental rights is exacerbated by a humanitarian and ecological crisis, since “Annobón has been used for decades as a dumping ground for toxic waste, with a devastating impact on its ecosystem.” marine and terrestrial.” Furthermore, the use of explosives for extractive activities “has caused direct damage to homes, basic infrastructure, and agricultural areas, compromising food security and the very habitability of the territory.” “This is compounded by a history of recurring health crises which, in the absence of a state response, decimated a significant portion of the population,” it adds. The Bubi people Furthermore, Bubi organizations have also denounced “a regime of systematic discrimination and political persecution, exercised by a central power dominated by the Fang ethnic group, which has severely limited the political participation, institutional representation, and effective exercise of the Bubi people’s civil and collective rights.” This structural exclusion, according to Sumar, has been accompanied by the expropriation of lands and natural resources, as well as the loss of traditional livelihoods, including the destruction of cacao crops and restricted access to the benefits derived from the exploitation of oil and gas resources on Bioko Island, “which has generated profound economic and social vulnerability for this community.” At the same time, it continues, “the militarization of the territory has caused a serious deterioration of the rights of Bubi women and children, with recurring reports of abuse, sexual violence, mistreatment, and harassment by security forces.” “This situation is aggravated by the lack of access to basic health services, the scarcity of adequate health infrastructure, the shortage of qualified personnel and medicines, which has contributed to maintaining high infant mortality rates and significantly reducing life expectancy,” Sumar denounces. Faced with this “context of repression, forced displacement, and dismantling of social structures,” numerous representative organizations of the Bubi people have denounced the situation before the United Nations “as a pattern of systematic extermination,” it adds. “Spain’s historical responsibility” According to Sumar, “the gravity and persistence of the human rights violations reported on the island of Annobón and against the Bubi people must be understood as manifestations of a structural pattern of repression, exclusion, and dispossession that demands a response from the international community.” “The systematic denial of fundamental rights, the militarization of territories, the impoverishment of indigenous populations, and the absence of basic protection guarantees constitute a situation of extreme vulnerability that directly challenges human rights and Spain’s historical responsibility,” warns the party led by Vice President Yolanda Díaz. Therefore, the motion urges the Government to “clearly and expressly condemn the serious and systematic human rights violations reported on the island of Annobón and against the Bubi people, particularly those affecting physical integrity, freedom, dignity, the rights of women and children, as well as the collective rights of indigenous peoples,” and to “actively promote, within the framework of the United Nations and the European Union, international monitoring of the human rights situation in Equatorial Guinea, paying special attention to the situation of the Bubi people and the population of Annobón.” The text also calls on the Government to prioritize the situation of Annobón and the Bubi people in Spain's political and diplomatic dialogue with Equatorial Guinea, as well as in relevant multilateral forums, and to promote international cooperation initiatives aimed at guaranteeing effective access to basic public services on the island of Annobón and for the Bubi people, particularly in the areas of health, education, drinking water, and sanitation, as well as strengthening the protection of their social and cultural rights and improving their living conditions.

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