Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, Jan. 6, 2026 (Lusa) - The president of Equatorial Guinea has designated the City of Peace as the country's new administrative capital, replacing Malabo, international agencies reported, citing a decree-law published on Friday.
"The Republic of Equatorial Guinea, within the framework of its policy of balanced development, territorial cohesion and modernisation of public management, recognises the need to adopt measures to decentralise the functions of the State, promoting harmonious socio-economic development in all regions of the country," states the decree-law signed by President Teodoro Obiang.
According to the decree, in recent decades, the cities of Malabo, located on the island of Bioko, and Bata, which serves as the capital of the mainland region, have experienced "rapid urban growth" due to the constant migration of the population from rural areas to these urban centres, where most of the public service infrastructure and employment opportunities are concentrated.
"This disorderly growth has created significant challenges in terms of urban planning, pressure on basic services, increased regional inequality and overloading of transport and communication networks," says the document read on Friday evening on Equatorial Guinean television.
The City of Peace, also known as Djibloho or Oyala, is an ambitious urban project that began more than a decade ago and was conceived from the outset as the country's future administrative and political capital. It is located about 70 kilometres from the district of Mongomo, the birthplace of the President of Equatorial Guinea, and close to the border with Gabon.
Djibloho, inaugurated as a province in 2017, is located in the continental part of the country, includes modern infrastructure and institutional buildings, and was designed by a Portuguese architecture and urban planning firm.
"The City of Peace, due to its strategic geographical location, its potential for urban expansion, its capacity to accommodate modern administrative infrastructure and its connectivity with other regions, is the ideal choice to host the capital," the President argued in the decree.
However, the project has been criticised for the risk of destroying the Congo Basin forest, which is home to the second-largest tropical forest in the world and has the largest carbon-absorption capacity on the planet, greater than that of the Amazon.
Since its independence from Spain in 1968, Equatorial Guinea, a member country of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), has been considered by human rights organisations as one of the most repressive and corrupt countries in the world.
Obiang, 83, has ruled the country with an iron fist since 1979, when he overthrew his uncle, Francisco Macias, in a coup d'état, making him the world's longest-serving president.
NYC/ADB // ADB.
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