he was unable to sign an (invented) confession. Jaws are broken, forearms are snapped in half, and outside the prison, rape is employed systematically to keep the minority Bubi tribe down.

Nor does Obiang only kill his own people. In July 2003 a young female Spanish missionary was shot dead in a bus by soldiers; soon afterwards a French economist bent on exposing corruption had the veins in his neck sliced open. What might happen to Mann (right) in the long term understandably makes his family and friends shudder.

Meanwhile, Obiang dumps toxic waste for profit on Annobon Island; his henchmen traffic in drugs through diplomatic bags; he has been accused of eating the testicles and occasionally the brains of his political opponents, and he is a man who in 2004 bought his sixth private plane - a Boeing 737 - for $55m, while his people have the smallest proportion of GDP spent on health and education of any country

in Africa.

Anyone involved in attempting to overthrow this vicious monster should be protected by the British Government to the utmost of her ability, and lauded by the rest of us.

Which brings us to Robert Mugabe. With Britain, South Africa, the US, the African Union and the United Nations all absolutely ruling out an invasion of Zimbabwe - which is the only realistic way that his claws can be prised off the levers of power - surely it is time to look at the privatised option?

A mercenary operation removing Mugabe and his senior henchmen and putting Morgan Tsvangirai in his place could be clean, quick and universally popular among ordinary Zimbabweans. Further, it would have 100 per cent deniability by world governments and multi-national organisations. That is why mercenary coups in Africa are an idea whose time has come.