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The great game

By Simon Mann

From a memo found on the computer of Simon Mann, the alleged leader of a plot to overthrow Teodoro Obiang, the president of Equatorial Guinea, and replace him with the exiled opposition leader, Severo Moto. Mann is serving a four-year jail sentence in Zimbabwe for illegally trying to buy weapons; Equatorial Guinea is seeking his extradition and claims he and Moto signed a $15 million contract for the coup. Officials from Equatorial Guinea have accused the Spanish, British, and U.S. governments of being involved in the coup attempt, which they say was financed by several British businessmen including Sir Mark Thatcher, son of the former prime minister. British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw admitted in Parliament to prior knowledge of the coup. Equatorial Guinea has an estimated 10 percent of global oil reserves. The memo was obtained by Guardian journalist David Pallister.

THREATS AND REMEDIES

The two most potent general threats are:

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SEE ALSO: Career as Equatorial Guinea president; Equatorial Guinea; Knowledge—Coup d'état, 2004; Knowledge—Coup d'état in Equatorial Guinea, 2004; Thatcher, Mark; 1979-; Moto, Severo; Obiang, Teodoro

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