Equatorial Guinea’s Hidden Shadows: Sex Trafficking, Arms Smuggling, and Financial Crimes

Malabo, Equatorial Guinea - Once known for its vast oil reserves and unique cultural heritage, Equatorial Guinea’s allure extends beyond its surface-level prosperity. However, beneath this facade lies a complex network of distressing realities, including sex trafficking, forced labor, arms smuggling, and financial crimes.

Sex Trafficking & Forced Labor

Equatorial Guinea is a significant source and destination country for human trafficking, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Women and children are subjected to exploitation in major cities such as Malabo, Bata, and Mongomo.

Lured by false promises of employment, victims are often forced into situations of prostitution or domestic servitude.
Children from rural areas and neighboring countries are trafficked and used in forced labor, primarily in agriculture and fishing industries.

Arms Smuggling

Despite not having its own arms trafficking groups, Equatorial Guinea’s strategic location has made it a transit point for weapons entering West Africa.

Piracy and maritime crimes in the Gulf of Guinea are growing rampant, and many weapons are believed to have been smuggled through Equatorial Guinea.
Instability and corruption in neighboring countries like Chad and the Central African Republic facilitate the illegal movement of weapons.
Arms trafficking is also linked to Equatorial Guinea’s ruling elite and their international connections.

Illegal Trade

Illicit trade in excise goods and counterfeit goods is limited within the country. However, unsustainable logging and hunting remain major concerns.

Unsustainable hunting poses a significant threat to fauna, particularly primates and elephants.
Illegal fishing by European and Asian vessels in Equatorial Guinea’s territorial waters is another concern.

Environmental Crimes

Equatorial Guinea’s wealth derived from oil reserves has resulted in diverted profits, leaving living standards stagnant for the majority of the population. This wealth shift has led to a decline in certain criminal markets, but unsustainable hunting remains a problem.

Drugs

While there are concerns of drug trafficking, there are currently no signs of pervasive drug markets in Equatorial Guinea.

Domestic consumption of cannabis is prevalent but involves no organized crime groups.
Authorities launched a campaign against cannabis production and consumption in 2022.
There are concerns about the presence of cocaine, but there is no evidence of organized trafficking groups.
Heroin and synthetic drugs remain relatively unheard of.

Cyber Crimes

There is currently no substantial evidence of a cyber-dependent crime market in Equatorial Guinea.

Financial Crimes

High-level government officials, including the President’s son, have been convicted of embezzlement of state funds.

Corruption and mismanagement of public funds are rampant.
State-embedded actors are commonly involved in financial crimes.

Criminal Actors

The ruling elite maintains a system that serves their interests at the expense of citizens, perpetuating conditions for criminal markets to thrive. Human rights abuses, repression of civil society groups, and opposition politicians continue to persist.

Spanish, Chinese, North Korean, and Russian criminal elements are active in various aspects of the country’s criminal market.
Spanish, Chinese, and North Korean actors are involved in sex trafficking and forced labor.
Russian actors are engaged in arms trafficking with corrupt Equatoguinean officials.