MALABO, Equatorial Guinea — Gunmen traveling in speedboats clashed with security forces near the presidential palace early today but officials said it did not appear to be a coup attempt in the Central African nation.
The government accused militants from Nigeria’s Niger Delta region of being behind today’s attack in the former Spanish colony. The region’s main militant group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, denied any involvement.
An unknown number of gunmen arrived in the island capital in two speedboats before dawn, according to an official with Spain’s foreign ministry who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with ministry rules. The ministry said its information came from the Spanish ambassador in Equatorial Guinea.
The firefight lasted about two hours, and President Teodoro Obiang was not in the palace at the time, the official said.
The country’s information minister made an announcement on radio later today, denouncing the attackers and calling on residents to remain vigilant.
Obiang seized control of the Central African nation in a 1979 coup, and there have been numerous coup attempts since he took power.
Equatorial Guinea is Africa’s No. 3 oil producer. Despite this wealth, most of the country’s half-million people remain mired in poverty, and government officials are accused of syphoning off oil revenue.
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