Equatorial Guinea Obiang Mangue, and other close relatives with powerful positions in the security forces. The tension may be rooted in a power shift arising from the dramatic increase in oil production which has occurred since 1997. In 2004 a plane load of suspected mercenaries was intercepted in Zimbabwe while allegedly on the way to overthrow Obiang. A November 2004 report named Mark Thatcher as a financial backer of the 2004 Equatorial Guinea coup d'état attempt organized by Simon Mann. Various accounts also named the United Kingdom's MI6, the United States' CIA, and Spain as tacit supporters of the coup attempt. Nevertheless,
Fiction set in Equatorial Guinea takes place at a primate research facility based in Equatorial Guinea. The book also discusses some of the geography, history and peoples of the country. Episode 2 of the British sitcom "Yes Minister", "The Official Visit", involves the fictional developing country of Buranda in what is actually Equatorial Guinea. In the 2009 novel "Limit" by Frank Schätzing, set in 2025, the country's history (and future history) plays a significant role. The 2011 novel "The Informationist" by Taylor Stevens is a missing-person thriller that makes detailed use of Equatorial Guinea's mélange of people, economics and geography. The 2012 Spanish-language novel "Palmeras