Bishops in Africa Express Solidarity with Equatorial Guinea Following Recent Tragic Blasts

The President of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Mbasogo, attributed the March 7 blasts at the Nkoa Ntoma military camp located in the country's largest city, Bata, to badly stored dynamite. 

The leadership of Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on the authorities of the Central African nation to invite international experts to conduct investigations into the blasts. 

A state funeral for the victims of the explosions was held on March 12.

In their March 15 statement, members of SECAM express their "heartfelt sympathy" to the families that lost their loved ones in the explosion. They also express their "spiritual closeness and solidarity" with the people of God who were wounded in the March 7 blasts. 

Catholic Bishops in Africa and Madagascar call on the "people of good conscience," the leadership of Church and civil organizations on the continent and beyond to come to the aid of the people of God in Equatorial Guinea. 

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"May the Virgin Mary, Queen of Africa, ensure the maternal protection for her children," the Bishops implore in their one-page statement.

Leaders across the globe have also expressed their solidarity with citizens of the Central African nation following the March 7 tragedy.  

In a March 8 tweet, the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Moussa Faki, expressed his "deepest condolences to the families of the victims and their loved one, as well as to the people and government of Equatorial Guinea following the terrible explosions in Bata."

The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Managing Director, Kristalina Georgieva, offered her "deepest condolences" to the people of God in the Central African nation in her March 9 statement. 

Georgieva assured citizens of Equatorial Guinea of her organization’s support.

IMF is "exploring all possible ways to support the people of Equatorial Guinea at this difficult time, building on the ongoing policy dialogue and working with the international community, and to help the country move toward more sustainable and inclusive growth," she said.

Magdalene Kahiu is a Kenyan journalist with passion in Church communication. She holds a Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). Currently, she works as a journalist for ACI Africa.