By Javier Alberto
MALABO, OCT.14 — Despite repeated appeals to the UN and African Union, the Bubis say their demands for self-determination remain ignored since 1968, when Spain united them with Río Muni against their will. Most Bubis now live in exile or under fear on their ancestral island.
The Bubi people of Bioko Island the original inhabitants of what is now Equatorial Guinea’s capital, Malabo are once again appealing to the international community for recognition of their right to self-determination.
Through their peaceful movement ERIA IPOLA (“People, Rise Up”), the Bubis denounce decades of political persecution, ethnic discrimination, and repression under President Obiang Nguema’s regime. They claim Spain ignored their plea in 1968 not to be united with Río Muni during the colonial transition, a decision that they say marked the beginning of their suffering.
Despite making up a small minority, they continue to demand decolonization before the African Union and the United Nations, both of which have received formal appeals from their representatives.
Under Obiang’s rule, the Bubis say they are excluded from positions of power out of more than 100 generals in the country’s national army, only two are Bubi. Their leaders were allegedly executed in the 1960s and 70s for defending independence, and political dissent remains tightly controlled.
“We are a peaceful people,” the movement’s statement reads. “But silence is complicity. The world must hear our cry for freedom no more silence, no more hypocrisy – Namibia Daily News
