The French army denies and speaks of false information. These allegations come when Vice President Teodorin Obiang Nguema, son of the incumbent president, was finally convicted on Wednesday, July 28, 2021 by the French judiciary in cases of bad profits for laundering nearly $ 150 million. in France.
This Wednesday afternoon, a Fennec-type French Army light helicopter lands in Bata, the second city of Equatorial Guinea. The authorities decide to immobilize the aircraft and the six French soldiers on board are arrested. The case is published quickly.
The Chief of Staff of the Equatorial Guinea Air Force even spoke on television: “They claim to have an annual landing permit. and Bata, but after verifications does not correspond to the registration of the device. This is a serious violation of aviation regulations. We can say that it is an attack on state security, because it is a military apparatus. ”
But if the helicopter landed, it was simply because it ran out of fuel during a mission between Douala and Libreville, according to Colonel Pascal Ianni, spokesman for the French army chief of staff: “This information is completely unfounded, because it was about a logistical mission. The helicopter is not armed, the people in the helicopter are not armed. There was simply a need to refuel the helicopter. ”
According to him, the situation is not unsurpassed: “We regularly have difficulties with the authorities in Equatorial Guinea during logistical transits between Douala and Libreville. This is not the first time this has happened and therefore it does not cause any particular concern on our part and I think we will find a solution quickly. ”
The six French soldiers detained at Bata Airport are in contact with the French embassy in Equatorial Guinea, which is now handling the case.
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