Regina Mañe Ela
Minister for Education and Culture of Equatorial Guinea government-in-exile
In office
2003–2015
Prime MinisterSevero Moto Nsá
Personal details
Born8 December 1954
Bata, Equatorial Guinea
Died24 February 2015(2015-02-24) (aged 60)
Spain

Regina Mañe Ela (8 December 1954 – 24 February 2015) was an Equatorial Guinean politician and opposition campaigner.

Life

Ela was born in Bata on 8 December 1954.[1][2] Ela was a teacher first at a primary school, and from 1970 at the National Institute of Secondary Education.[2] She was sacked from the latter position in 1994 for her membership of the opposition Progress Party of Equatorial Guinea.[2]

Ela was secretary of social action for the Rio Miuni Geographic Council and was elected mayor of Bata for the Progress Party on 17 September 1995.[2] The governing Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea disputed the results and claimed victory.[1] President Teodoro Obiang gave the mayoralty to one of his supporters.[3]

Ela fled the country to seek asylum in Spain in 1997; this was granted and she lived in Valencia for more than 15 years.[3] In 2003 she was appointed Minister for Education and Culture in Severo Moto Nsá's government-in-exile formed in Madrid by the People's Party, Popular Action of Equatorial Guinea, and the Liberty Party.[3] She was the only female member of the cabinet and was known within the People's Party as "madre" ("mother").[2]

Ela's son also applied for asylum in Spain and was initially refused, having to briefly return to Equatorial Guinea. He appealed to the Supreme Court of Spain and was successful in having the original decision overturned and being accepted as a refugee.[3]

Ela was tried in absentia in Equatorial Guinea and was sentenced to 20 years in prison for treason, 15 years for conspiracy against the head of state and 15 years for conspiracy against the government.[4] Ela denied knowledge of a coup d'etat for Equatorial Guinea that was allegedly planned in Spain and weapons intended for the coup which were seized by the Spanish government at the port of Sagunt.[3] Ela died of cancer on 24 February 2015.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Madrid : Le Parti du Progrès de Severo Moto fête ses 32 ans". www.france-guineeequatoriale.org (in French). Association France-Guinee Equatoriale. Archived from the original on 2021-02-03. Retrieved 2017-11-10.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Regina Mañe Ela. Ministerio de Educación" (in Spanish). Equatorial-Guinea Government in Exile. 6 August 2011. Archived from the original on 6 August 2011. Retrieved 10 November 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "El Supremo concede el asilo al hijo de una opositora guineana". Levante-EMV. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  4. ↑ "Guinea Ecuatorial Un juicio con demasiados defectos" (PDF). Amnesty International. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-12-03. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
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