Search
  1. Home
  2. West Africa
  3. Equatorial Guinea

Alleged mercenaries not to be extradited

    JOHANNESBURG

    The Zimbabwean government will not extradite the 70 alleged mercenaries held on charges of plotting a coup in Equatorial Guinea, the official Herald newspaper reported on Saturday.

    The newspaper quoted Zimbabwe's Home Affairs Minister, Kembo Mohadi, as saying that a request by a delegation from the central African country on behalf of Equatorial Guinea President Obiang Mbasogo was turned down.

    "We said it was not possible since it will be against international laws," Mohadi was quoted as saying.

    The 70 suspects, all South African passport holders, were arrested on 7 March on board a plane that landed at Harare International airport.

    The men said they had been contracted to guard mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but were subsequently charged with violation of Zimbabwe's Public Order and Security Act, the Firearms Act and the Immigration Act.

    The detainees have been linked to 15 suspected coup plotters arrested in Equatorial Guinea, one of whom has since died. Their trial began on Monday in Malabo, capital of Equatorial Guinea, with the prosecutor announcing that he would call for the death penalty for South African Nick du Toit, the alleged leader of the coup-plotters.

    The trial of the 70 alleged mercenaries held in Zimbabwe ended last week. A verdict is due soon.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join