Former president Yahya Jammeh was one of the dignitaries that joined Equatorial Guinea strongman, Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, at the airport in Malabo to receive the remains of his brother, Antonio Mba Nguema.

He died on May 6 in South Africa after a long illness. He was 68.

“In the morning, on May 6, the Captain General of the Armed Forces and Minister of State for Presidential Security, Antonio Mba Nguema Mikué, died in a hospital in South Africa,” the president said in a statement read on state radio.

Mba Nguema was given full military honours and accorded a state burial in recognition of his services to the nation.

The state funeral was attended by government officials including the Prime Minister, Francisco Pascal Obama, the Obiang family and other dignitaries.

Mba Nguema was the head of the Presidential Guards and the Chief of the Armed Forces.  He was Director of National Security (1992-2004) for a long time before being appointed Minister of National Defence, a position he held until 2016. He held the highest rank in the country’s army.

The Ministry of Defence has decreed seven days of mourning in “all barracks, ships, military dependencies of the armed and security forces” of the country.