Presumably bringing to an end one of the more bizarre chains of events in recent African history (and yes, I am well aware of just how brazen that assertion is) President Teodoro Obiang Nguema of Equitorial Guinea has pardoned the conspirators in the 2004 coup plot in his country. Simon Mann, a shady British (via South Africa, natch) mercenary was the most visible figure and led the bizarre plot that also implicated Mark Thatcher, the son of the former British Prime Minister, who was convicted of separate (and considerably lesser) charges in South Africa. Allegations that the United States and Great Britain stood behind the coup machinations were never substantiated and probably amounted to little, though they add another layer of absurdity to the proceedings.
(I already have too many category tags at this blog, but I think I need to add a “General Weirdness” category.)
