DAKAR, (Reuters) – A row has broken out over plans by  UNESCO to award a prize for life sciences named after the leader  of the tiny African nation of Equatorial Guinea, whose  government is widely accused of corruption and rights abuses.

A coalition of rights and civil society groups said the  agency was allowing Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo to launder his  international reputation by funding the $3 million prize instead  of using the cash to improve the living standards of his people.

“The grim irony of awarding a prize recognizing ‘scientific  achievements that improve the quality of human life’, while  naming it for a president whose 30-year rule has been marked by  the brutal poverty and fear of his people and a global  reputation for governmental corruption, would bring shame on  UNESCO,” 30 groups said in a statement sent to UNESCO.