Salvador Elá Nseng Abegue (1940 – 1 June 2022) was an Equatorial Guinean military leader, politician, and diplomat.

Biography

Salvador Elá Nseng was born in Añisoc, a member of the

Fang A fang is a long, pointed tooth. In mammals, a fang is a modified maxillary tooth, used for biting and tearing flesh. In snakes, it is a specialized tooth that is associated with a venom gland (see snake venom). Spiders also have external fangs, ...

ethnic group. From 1963 to 1965 he trained at the General Military Academy in Zaragoza, Spain, along with other future leaders such as Teodoro Obiang and Eulogio Oyó. He came to hold the rank of captain. Elá Nseng was key in the dismantling of the , when he notified 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 ...

of the attempt and helped him to quell it militarily. During the dictatorship of Macías Nguema, he served as governor of

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 ...

, and was a prison official in Bata, responsible for the execution of several political prisoners. He fell out of favor after being implicated in the . He was imprisoned at Black Beach, and was released by Teodoro Obiang at midnight on 2 August 1979. He was one of the imprisoned military men who joined the so-called " Liberty Coup", being responsible for leading its troops in the city of

Malabo Malabo ( , ; formerly ) is the capital of Equatorial Guinea in the province of Bioko Norte. It is located on the north coast of the island of Bioko (, and as ''Fernando Pó'' by the Europeans). In 2018, the city had a population of approxim ...

. After the success of the coup and Obiang's consequent assumption of power, Elá Nseng became the Second Vice President of the Supreme Military Council. He was also in charge of the

Finance Finance refers to monetary resources and to the study and Academic discipline, discipline of money, currency, assets and Liability (financial accounting), liabilities. As a subject of study, is a field of Business administration, Business Admin ...

and Trade portfolios. During his tenure in these positions, he played an important role in establishing the first cooperation agreements signed with Spain and France, at the end of 1979. That same year he was decorated in Spain with the

Order of Isabella the Catholic The Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (; Abbreviation, Abbr.: OYC) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent Order of merit, orders of merit bestowed by the Kingdom of Spain, alongside the Order of Charles III (established in 1771) and ...

, together with Florencio Mayé Elá and Juan Manuel Tray. In 1979 he also served as Governor of the Bank of Equatorial Guinea. In February 1980, he was dismissed from office and replaced by Eulogio Oyó, immediately assuming the post of ambassador of Equatorial Guinea to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. He remained in this position until 1986. He then served as ambassador to

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

. In the 2013 legislative elections he was elected

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

representing the

Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea The Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea (, abbreviated PDGE) is the ruling political party in Equatorial Guinea. It was established by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo on 11 October 1987. Prior to 1991, the PDGE was the sole legal pol ...

(PDGE). He was part of the Permanent Commission of Foreign Policy, International Cooperation, and Integration, and of the Permanent Commission of Defense and State Security. He had a close relationship with President Obiang. He died on 1 June 2022 in Doctor Loeri Comba Polyclinic in

after an illness.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ela Nseng, Salvador 1940 births 2022 deaths African military personnel Ambassadors of Equatorial Guinea to China Ambassadors of Equatorial Guinea to Ethiopia Collars of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea politicians Ministers of finance of Equatorial Guinea Vice presidents of Equatorial Guinea Equatoguinean senators People from Añisoc Trade ministers of Equatorial Guinea Equatoguinean military leaders 20th-century Equatoguinean politicians