Bonifacio Ondó Edú-Aguong (16 March 1922 – 5 March 1969) was an Equatoguinean politician who served as the

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. It has an area of . Formerly the colony of Spanish Guinea, its post-independence name refers to its location both near the Equ ...

from 1964 to 1968 while it was still under

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

colonial rule, as

Spanish Guinea Spanish Guinea () was a set of Insular Region (Equatorial Guinea), insular and Río Muni, continental territories controlled by Spain from 1778 in the Gulf of Guinea and on the Bight of Bonny, in Central Africa. It gained independence in 1968 a ...

. He played a leading role in the country's independence, and led the from 1959 until his death. He took office when the country gained autonomy in 1964, and ran in the country's first presidential election in 1968, losing in the run-off. He handed power over to newly elected president

Francisco Macías Nguema Francisco Macías Nguema (born Mez-m Ngueme, later Africanisation, Africanised to Masie Nguema Biyogo Ñegue Ndong; 1 January 1924 – 29 September 1979), often referred to as Macías Nguema or simply Macías, was an Equatoguinean politician w ...

on 12 October 1968 (the day of independence). He was imprisoned and officially committed suicide only a few months later. Another account says he returned in 1969 from exile in

Gabon Gabon ( ; ), officially the Gabonese Republic (), is a country on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, on the equator, bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo to the east and south, and ...

and was killed.

Biography

Early and personal life

Bonifacio Ondó Edú-Aguong, a member of the

Fang people The Fang people, also known as Fãn or Pahouin, are a Bantu peoples, Bantu ethnic group found in Equatorial Guinea, northern Gabon, and southern Cameroon. was born in either 1920 or 1922, in

Evinayong Evinayong ( ) is a town lying atop a small mountain in southeastern Río Muni, central Equatorial Guinea. It is the capital of the Centro Sur Province and the St. Joseph's cathedral is the episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Evinayo ...

Río Muni Río Muni (called ''Mbini'' in Fang language, Fang) is the Continental Region (called ''Región Continental'' in Spanish language, Spanish) of Equatorial Guinea, and comprises the mainland geographical region, covering . The name is derived fr ...

, in what was then

. He was a member of the Nsomo clan, which also included . Ondó Edú married Edelvina Oyana, also a member of the Fang people, and the two were the parents of a large family. Ondó Edú has been described as "of profound religious-

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

convictions." During the 1950s, emerging groups of African nationalists began pushing for independence from Spain. However, after the murder of several independence leaders such as Nvo and

Acacio Mañé Ela Acacio Mane Elah (c.1904 - 1959), was one of the first Equatorial Guinean nationalist and independence leaders. Biography Acacio Mañé Ela was born into the Fang society of the mainland Afro-Spanish colony, in the Esambira clan, from the region l ...

and the arrests of 24 others in 1959, many nationalists chose to flee into exile and continue the movement abroad, including Ondó Edú. He founded the party ("People's Liberation Movement of Equatorial Guinea") in

Libreville Libreville (; ) is the capital and largest city of Gabon, located on the Gabon Estuary. Libreville occupies of the northwestern province of Estuaire Province, Estuaire. Libreville is also a port on the Gabon Estuary, near the Gulf of Guinea. A ...

, in October 1959. The party had the support of the Gabonese government. In August of 1963, Spain's government invited all exiled Guineans to return and announced a referendum on a draft bill to give the territory autonomy, scheduled for December. This led to nationalist parties hastily realigning, as many could not agree on the autonomy question. That same year, Spain began allowing open political activity in Equatorial Guinea, which led to several new Equatoguinean political parties being formed. Ondó Edú returned from exile that year, and his UPLGE became the moderate ("National Unity Movement of Equatorial Guinea") in November. The creation of Ondó Edú's new party was supported by the Casas Fuertes ("Strong Houses"), large commercial companies and cocoa plantation owners. Most exiles returned from

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

and chose to vote. Ondó Edú and MUNGE led the "yes" campaign, while

Atanasio Ndongo Miyone Atanasio Ndongo Miyone (1928 – March 26, 1969) was an Equatoguinean musician, writer, and Fang political figure. He wrote the lyrics to Equatorial Guinea's national anthem. He was executed in 1969 following a failed coup d'état to depose p ...

was the only major nationalist figure who boycotted the referendum. On 15 December 1963, Spain held the autonomy referendum, with 62.5% of eligible Equatoguinean voters voting yes for autonomy. Ondó Edú and his party were seen as being a decisive factor in the success of the autonomy vote, which was rejected in the Fernando Po region but allowed to pass because of the large majority of

voters who sided with the "yes" campaign.

Prime minister of Spanish Guinea

When Spanish Guinea was granted autonomy in 1964, a provisional council was created to govern the country. Ondó Edú became the Prime Minister (or President) of the council on 1 January 1964. The council had eight ministers, along with Ondó Edú's deputy (or vice president),

of the political party Idea Popular de Guinea Ecuatorial (IPGE). The council included politicians from Spanish Guinea's various ethnic groups, including Fang,

Bubi Bubi may refer to: * Bubi people, an ethnic group in Central Africa * Bubi language, a Bantu language spoken in Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea * Bubi District, Zimbabwe * Bubi River, a tributary of the Limpopo River in Zimbabwe * BuBi, a bicy ...

, and

Ndowe Demographic features of the population of Equatorial Guinea include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. Population According to ...

people. The members were elected by a legislature. Spain was represented by a high commissioner or commissioner general. Major General Pedro Latorre Alcubierre held this position from the beginning of autonomy until his replacement in 1966 by Víctor Suances y Díaz del Río. All members of the council received salaries of 40,000 pesetas, as well as a

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...

, a house with free personnel, and "gifts" from the Casas Fuertes. Corruption was an open problem in the administration as well. Rafael Nsue Nchama was dismissed in 1966 for misappropriation of funds. Luis Rondo Maguga Rolé died of natural causes in 1967. As MUNGE sought to bring together moderate nationalists and colonialists, the colonialists supported it and Ondó Edú's government as a way to weaken less moderate African nationalists. Rising investment in the new institutions increased the new political elite's dependence on the Spanish government, and those in Ondó Edú's autonomous council developed a greater interest in maintaining the political and economic alignment with Spain. In foreign policy, Ondó Edú established good relations with Gabon and its president

Léon M'ba Gabriel Léon M'ba (9 February 1902 – 28 November 1967) was a Gabonese politician who served as both the first Prime Minister of Gabon, Prime Minister (1959–1961) and later, the President of Gabon, from 1961 until his death in 1967. A ...

(also a Fang). He visited Libreville in May 1965, and was given a warm reception, being referred to as the "President of Equatorial Guinea" by the local press. was for Equatorial Guinea was held beginning on 30 October. Ondó Edú co-chaired a 41-member Equatoguinean delegation at the conference. The first phase ended on 15 November due to complaints from Fernando Po separatists. It resumed on 1 April of the following year, and proposed to unify the two territories into a single state and a democratic constitution, the latter of which was to be put to a referendum. The Equatoguinean delegation also became split on which presidential candidate to support for the new nation. Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs supported Ndongo, while most members of the autonomous institutions supported Macias, and Spain's Presidential Office divided its support between Ondó Edú and the Fernando Po separatists. A full, democratic constitution was proclaimed on 22 June, which led to complaints to the United Nations by the Equatoguineans due to their lack of input, but these were ignored. The constitutional referendum was held on 11 August 1968. Ondó Edú and Ndongo campaigned in favor of ratifying the constitution, while Macias,

Edmundo Bossio Edmundo Bossio Dioko (22 November 1922 – 21 February 1975), was an Equatoguinean farmer and politician, first Vice President of Equatorial Guinea after the History of Equatorial Guinea#Independence and Macias government (1968–1979), indepen ...

, and the separatists campaigned against it. The constitution was approved with 72,458 votes for and 40,197, or 64.32% for and 35.68% against. Don Francisco Macias

Immediately after the referendum, preparations for 1968 general election began, which would elect the legislature and the president. Ondó Edú was his party's presidential candidate in the election. The other candidates were Macías, Ndongo, and Bossio. Ondó Edú campaigned as a moderate who supported continued ties with Spain after independence, while his main opponent, Macías, was vocally critical of further Spanish involvement in Equatoguinean affairs post-independence. Ondó Edú had the support of then-

Deputy Prime Minister of Spain Deputy or depute may refer to: * Steward (office) * Khalifa, an Arabic title that can signify "deputy" * Deputy (legislator), a legislator in many countries and regions, including: ** A member of a Chamber of Deputies, for example in Italy, S ...

Luis Carrero Blanco Admiral-General Luis Carrero Blanco (; 4 March 1904 – 20 December 1973) was a Spanish Navy officer and politician. A long-time confidant and right-hand man of dictator Francisco Franco, Carrero served as Prime Minister of Spain. Upon gr ...

, the wider Spanish government, businessmen, the middle class, and various local ethnic groups. His official symbol was a

gazelle A gazelle is one of many antelope species in the genus ''Gazella'' . There are also seven species included in two further genera; '' Eudorcas'' and '' Nanger'', which were formerly considered subgenera of ''Gazella''. A third former subgenus, ' ...

. In the first round, held on 22 September 1968, he received 31,941 votes (34.84%) to Macías's 36,716 votes (40.05%), Ndongo's 18,223 votes (19.88%), and Bossio's 4,795 votes (5.23%). Because no candidate had secured a large majority, a second round was held a week later, with Ndongo and Bossio being dropped. After they gave their support to Macías, he received 68,310 votes (62.92%), while Ondó Edú garnered only 40,254 votes (37.08%). Macías was ultimately declared the winner on 3 October. On 11 October 1968, Ondó Edú was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella The Catholic by Minister of Information and Tourism

Manuel Fraga Manuel Fraga Iribarne (; 23 November 1922 – 15 January 2012) was a Spanish professor and politician during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, who was also one of the founders of the People's Alliance (Spain), People's Alliance (AP). Fraga ...

on behalf of the Spanish government. On 12 October, Ondó Edu transferred power to president-elect Macías. Fraga signed Equatorial Guinea's Declaration of Independence later that day, officially making the country independent from Spanish rule. Equatorial Guinea became the 44th independent African nation. The new government was a coalition of the existing political groups, but Ondó Edú was excluded.

Death and legacy

After the end of his term, Ondó Edú, fearing for his life, once again fled into exile in Gabon. Macías, who quickly began establishing a dictatorship, requested that Gabonese President

Omar Bongo Omar Bongo Ondimba (born Albert-Bernard Bongo; 30 December 1935 – 8 June 2009) was a Gabonese politician who was the second president of Gabon from 1967 until Death and state funeral of Omar Bongo, his death in 2009. A member of the Gabonese De ...

extradite Ondó Edú back to Equatorial Guinea, but Bongo refused. However, the Spanish government complied, and forcibly returned Ondó Edú to the country. Being returned to Santa Isabel, he was arrested, and according to the Equatoguinean government's official account, he committed suicide on March 5, 1969. However, according to one account, Ondó Edú was tortured in

Black Beach Black Beach (), located on the island of Bioko, in the capital city of Malabo in Equatorial Guinea, is one of Africa's most notorious prisons. History The prison was built in the 1940s during the time of the Spanish colonial rule. At first, co ...

prison for ten days by Mariano Mdemendongo, a member of the national guard, before finally being executed. According to Ibrahim K. Sundiata, he was imprisoned without trial, starved, and then killed in prison. Reportedly, the interior minister,

Ángel Masié Ntutumu Ángel Masié Ntutumu (1930 - 4 October 2020) was an Equatorial Guinean politician. Biography Ángel Masié Ntutumu is the brother of Miguel Eyegue, the Vice President of Equatorial Guinea from 1974 to 1976. A militant of the National Liberat ...

, was responsible for Ondó Edú's death sentence. His wife was also reportedly killed on Macías's orders the same year he was. The historian Enrique N. Okenve views the support that Spain gave to Ondó Edú as a reward for his role in the success of the autonomy referendum. According to Gonzalo Álvarez Chillida and Gustau Nerín, Ondó Edú became a symbol of collaboration with the Spanish. In 2020, a social project called INES Bonifacio Ondó Edú was inaugurated in Ondó Edú's home of Evinayong, which, according to AhoraEG, "promotes the fulfillment of the social responsibility of companies". A hospital in Evinayong also shares Ondó Edú's name.

Notes

References

Bibliography

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edu Ondo, Bonifacio 1922 births 1969 suicides 1969 deaths Equatoguinean people who died in prison custody People who died by suicide in prison custody Prime ministers of Equatorial Guinea Prisoners who died in Equatoguinean detention Suicides in Equatorial Guinea