UN despatches envoy to Equatorial Guinea after failed 'coup' bid

The UN says it will dispatch an envoy to Equatorial Guinea after the authorities said they had thwarted a coup attempt against President Theodoro Obiang Africa’s longest-serving leader.  

The country was put on alert after a senior government official announced that a putsch mounted by foreign mercenaries on December 24 had been put down.  

The Security Minister Mahamat Zen Cherif in a televised statement, said government troops clashed with "mercenaries" near the border with Cameroon. One "mercenary" was killed in the clash. He however did not specify how many fighters were involved or how long the clashes lasted.  

Chad's Foreign Minister Mahamat Zen Cherif condemned the attempted coup as a "major threat" to central Africa.

SOURCE: NEWS24
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