The government of Equatorial Guinea has blocked the downloading and sharing of files on WhatsApp through mobile data.
This restriction follows government orders to telecom companies to reduce access to content deemed inappropriate.
This action comes in response to the spread of hundreds of sex tapes showing a senior government official, Baltasar Ebang Engonga, in intimate situations with the wives of other men.
These videos, reportedly filmed in his finance ministry office, include Engonga, who serves as the director of the National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF). He is seen with multiple partners, sparking a national scandal.
On Monday, Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue announced on social media platform X that all civil servants involved in similar acts within government offices would face immediate suspension. He condemned these actions as violations of workplace conduct and ethics laws.
The scandal has caused major disruption in Equatorial Guinea, with Vice President Obiang giving a strict 24-hour notice to telecom authorities last week to stop the spread of these tapes.
“We cannot continue to see families destroyed,” he said, expressing the government’s concern over the impact of these videos on social harmony.
Reports suggest Engonga may have made over 400 videos in his office. Known for his looks and nicknamed “Bello,” Engonga is a married man and the son of Baltasar Engonga Edjo, a prominent official within the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC).
His detention on unrelated embezzlement charges at Black Beach Prison, as reported by state TV, preceded the leak of these tapes.
The chief prosecutor of Equatorial Guinea, Anatolio Nzang Nguema, stated that Engonga could also face public health charges if he is found to have a sexually transmitted disease.
The nation’s internet traffic has slowed dramatically as authorities take strong steps to control the scandal’s spread.
