On August 3, 1979 Lieutenant Colonel Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo overthrew his uncle, President Francisco Macias Nguema of Equatorial Guinea, in a coup that ended one of Africa's most murderous regimes, though the deposed dictator was captured, tried, and executed weeks later. Macias Nguema had ruled since independence from Spain in 1968 and presided over a reign of terror in which a large share of the population was killed or fled, earning comparisons to the worst tyrannies of the era. In the summer of 1979 Macias ordered members of his own family killed, prompting Obiang, his nephew and deputy defense minister and the brother of one of the victims, to move against him.
The August 3 coup was backed by the military and Macias's Cuban palace guard. Macias fled to his home village and held out in a fortified position; fighting killed some 400 people before he was captured on August 18 trying to reach Cameroon. He was tried for genocide and other crimes and executed by firing squad on September 29, 1979.
Researched Details
Researched
Independent research, added record by record. Hover any label for what it means.
Target identified in Coup Atlas research: President Francisco Macias Nguema, overthrown on August 3, 1979; he was not physically harmed at the coup itself (dataset fate), but was captured on August 18 and executed on September 29, 1979, a closely related later event.
RESEARCHED NAME
Key figures
Francisco Macias Nguema (dictator overthrown, later executed)
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo (nephew who seized power)
Sources
The 1979 Equatorial Guinea coup happened on August 3, 1979, when President Francisco Macias Nguema's nephew Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo overthrew him, fighting between loyalists and rebels continued until Macias Nguema was captured fleeing for Cameroon on August 18, and he was executed by firing squad on September 29, 1979 after being sentenced to death for genocide and other crimes.
In the summer of 1979 Macias ordered several members of his own family killed, leading Obiang, who was Macias' nephew and the brother of one of the victims and served as deputy defense minister, to overthrow his uncle on August 3, 1979 in a coup backed by the military and Macias' Cuban palace guard.
Upon his ousting Macias and his personal bodyguard fled to his home village of Nzeng-Ayong and took up residence in a fortified bunker, the ensuing conflict between Obiang and Macias' forces killed 400 people, it ended when Macias fled toward the Cameroon border, a force led by naval commander Florencio Maye captured him on August 18, and he and six allies were executed on September 29.
Dictator Francisco Macias Nguema of Equatorial Guinea was overthrown on August 3, 1979 in a coup led by Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, and Macias, the first president of Equatorial Guinea, was executed on September 29, 1979.
Fate coding and important distinction: the dataset codes the fate at the coup as not physically harmed, which fits the August 3 overthrow itself, since Macias was not killed in the coup but fled. He was then captured on August 18 and executed by firing squad on September 29, 1979 after a trial for genocide against the Bubi people and other crimes; this execution is a closely related but separate later event, flagged prominently here rather than folded into the coup's fate. Coding note: the dataset labels this a military coup; it was led by Macias's nephew and deputy defense minister Obiang, backed by the army and the Cuban palace guard. Casualty nuance: sources record about 400 killed in the fighting between the coup forces and Macias loyalists; this is recorded as documented. Atrocity context handled neutrally: Macias's regime is widely described as genocidal, with a large share of the population killed or exiled; recorded as documented background. Obiang has remained in power since, becoming one of the world's longest-serving rulers, later context.
Cross-Reference
Datasets agree. At least two of the three reference datasets we check against carry this event, and none of them disagrees about its date or its result.
Identifiers for finding this same event in the other datasets:
Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: President Francisco Macias Nguema, overthrown on August 3, 1979; he was not physically harmed at the coup itself (dataset fate), but was captured on August 18 and executed on September 29, 1979, a closely related later event..
Baseline coding: Incumbent executive removed from power. Recorded leader fate: deposed; not physically harmed. The baseline file does not name individual targets; researched names are kept in a separate layer.
Baseline Dataset Citation
Cline Center Coup d’État Project Dataset, v2.2.2
Peyton, Buddy, Joseph Bajjalieh, Michael Martin, and Andrea Gerald. 2026. Cline Center Coup d’État Project Dataset. Cline Center for Advanced Social Research. V.2.2.2. February 17. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. doi: 10.13012/B2IDB-9651987_V10
“Equatorial Guinea Reports Coup Foreigners Were Kept Out Equatorial Guinea Reports Coup Spain Meeting New Leaders,” August 6, 1979
This is the citation trail carried by the baseline dataset, grouped by outlet and rejoined from the line-wrapped original. Coup Atlas has not independently re-checked every document; read the original before citing a specific claim. URLs the import damaged beyond safe repair are shown as plain text and listed in citations-report.md. How this list is built →