“…But Mugabe may not be Africa’s worst. That prize arguably goes to Teodoro Obiang, the ruler of Equatorial Guinea whose life seems a parody of the dictator genre. Years of violent apprenticeship in a genocidal regime led by a crazy uncle? Check. Power grab in a coup against the murderous uncle? Check. Execution of now-deposed uncle by firing squad? Check. Proclamation of self as ‘the liberator’ of the nation? Check. Govern for decades in a way that prompts human rights groups to accuse your regime of murder, torture, and corruption? Check, check, and check.

Obiang, who seized power in 1979, had promised to be kinder and gentler than his predecessor, but in the 1990s, even the U.S. ambassador to Equatorial Guinea received a death threat from a regime insider, the ambassador has said, and had to be evacuated. Not long after that, offshore oil was discovered, but the first wave of revenues—about $700 million—was transferred into secret accounts under Obiang’s personal control. The latest chapter, written in the last month, may be the least surprising, because Obiang’s ruling party won 99 of the 100 seats in legislative elections. A government press release, hailing Obiang as the ‘Militant Brother Founding President of the PDGE,’ carried the headline, ‘Democracy at Its Peak in Equatorial Guinea.’”

(via here)

“Major Stue McDonald talks on the phone during NATO’s counteroffensive against the Taliban. All told, between 90 and 200 militants were killed during the operation, which was aimed at rebuffing Taliban fighters and newly freed prison inmates in their attempt to retake Kandahar…  The open border with Pakistan allows militants free access between the two countries, and Taliban militants often infiltrate the villages in the south.” 

(via Foreign Policy)