The government of Equatorial Guinea has imposed strict controls on multimedia sharing through WhatsApp, banning the downloading and sharing of videos and images via mobile data in an effort to curb the spread of explicit content. This decision follows directives to local telecommunications companies, aimed at limiting public access to controversial media circulating online.
The restrictions coincide with a major scandal involving Baltasar Ebang Engonga, the director of the National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF) and a relative of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. Explicit videos allegedly depicting Engonga with multiple partners, including the spouses of other officials, have recently spread across social media. The footage was reportedly filmed within his office at the finance ministry, sparking nationwide controversy.
To address the scandal, Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue announced further disciplinary measures, stating that any civil servants found to have engaged in sexual activities within government offices would be immediately suspended. This action, he asserted, is necessary to uphold public ethics and prevent further harm to families affected by the incident. Surveillance cameras will now be installed in all government buildings, including ministry offices, to monitor and prevent further misconduct.
On social media platform X, Obiang stated that the government had given telecommunications companies a 24-hour mandate to curb the circulation of “pornographic videos that are flooding social networks in Equatorial Guinea.” The vice president underscored the impact of such content on families and emphasized the government’s commitment to preserving social order.
Nicknamed “Bello,” Engonga has been a prominent public figure not only as a high-ranking official but also due to his familial connection to Baltasar Engonga Edjo, the Chairman of the Commission of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community. The incident has intensified public scrutiny, especially since Engonga was recently held in Malabo’s Black Beach prison on unrelated charges of embezzlement.
Equatorial Guinea’s chief prosecutor, Anatolio Nzang Nguema, confirmed that authorities are prepared to bring additional charges against Engonga if medical evaluations indicate he may have exposed others to a sexually transmitted disease, citing public health as a potential area of legal action.
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