Alleged mercenary killed in custody--Equatorial Guinea denies

[seemslikeadream]

March 18 2004 at 01:24PM


Madrid - A South African mercenary suspected of plotting a coup in Equatorial Guinea has been tortured to death in the tiny Central African country, the Spanish daily El Pais reported on Thursday.

Nick du Toit, 48, was detained earlier this month along with 15 other foreigners on charges of plotting a coup against President Teodoro Obiang in an attempt to replace him with opposition politician Severo Moto, who lives in Spain.

About 70 suspected mercenaries were also detained at the Harare airport in Zimbabwe. Moto has denied allegations that he wanted to take power in the oil-rich former Spanish colony of 500 000 residents.

Du Toit has been described as the leader of the alleged mercenaries arrested in Equatorial Guinea.

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=84&art_id=qw1079609042766B261&set_id=1






Dumi
Dumi is a musician friend of mine from Harare. He joined me and my friend Kays on a trip to the Great Zimbabwe ruins. Joe Wein

[seemslikeadream]

1. Envoy to Check on Condition of Suspected Mercenaries

UN Integrated Regional Information Networks

March 17, 2004
Posted to the web March 17, 2004

Johannesburg

South African authorities are concerned over the medical condition of seven suspected mercenaries held in Equatorial Guinea.

The alleged soldiers of fortune were among 15 men arrested last week in the small but oil-rich country sandwiched between Cameroon and Gabon on the west coast of Africa, where authorities claimed the men were part of a conspiracy to overthrow President Teodoro Obiang Nguema.


South African ambassador to Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, Samuel Monaisa, told IRIN that Pretoria had been approached by the families of some of the alleged mercenaries, who claimed the men were ill and not being treated properly.

Monaisa, who spoke to IRIN on Wednesday from Brazzaville in Congo, was on his way to Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea, on a fact-finding mission.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200403170414.html



Nyanga
Inyangani Mountain in Nyanga National Park in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe is the highest mountain in the country (about 2500 metres). It is only a few kilometres from the border to Mozambique. At the time there were still occasional attacks by RENAMO bandits in this part of the country. Joe Wein

[seemslikeadream]

2. Equatorial Guinea denies Du Toit's death

Johannesburg - Authorities in Equatorial Guinea have denied a press report that South African Nick Du Toit, the alleged leader of a group of coup plotters arrested last week, had been tortured to death, SAFM public radio said on Thursday.

The station quoted foreign ministry spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa as saying that the South African ambassador in neighbouring Gabon "has been assured that the report is false".

The radio said the assurance came from "authorities in Equatorial Guinea".

The Spanish newspaper El Pais reported on Thursday that du Toit had died on Wednesday after being tortured.

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=136&art_id=qw1079616240839E252&set_id=1

[seemslikeadream]

3. Torture reports denied

18/03/2004 15:23 - (SA)

Malabo/Johannesburg - Reports that suspected South African mercenary Nick du Toit had been tortured to death in Equatorial Guinea were untrue, a senior government official said on Thursday.

Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa told Sapa South Africa had received an assurance to this effect from Equatorial Guinea.

"Their authorities have assured our ambassador there that no South African is dead in detention," Mamoepa said.


Malaria

Meanwhile, Equatorial Guinea government spokesperson Antonio Fernando Nve Ngu said an alleged German mercenary, who was one of the 15 supposed plotters, had died of cerebral malaria.


http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_1500155,00.html

[el_gato]

4. You play with fire

sometimes you get burned

The world would be a better place without these mercenaries.

[DulceDecorum]

5. The Geneva Convention

does NOT protect mercenaries.
They are considered fair game in hunting season.