The daughter of an African dictator has released a series of images from her childhood spent in North Korea, offering a rare glimpse into the closed state during the Cold War.

Monique Macias has shared the images from the 15 years that she and her brother Francisco spent in exile in North Korea.

Ms Macias is the daughter of Francisco Macías Nguema, the President-turned-dictator of Equatorial Guinea between 1968 and 1979, when he was overthrown in a coup led by members of his own family.

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In a bid to his protect his young family, Macías Nguema appealed to the North Korea government to take them in. Ms Macias, her brother and their mother were sent to North Korea, where they attended a prestigious school run by the authoritarian regime.

It was the same military academy which Kim Jong-il attended before becoming the heir to North Korea's seat of power. Lessons included firing Kalashnikov rifles, survival courses and military drills.

The images have been released in conjunction with Ms Macias memoirs I'm Monique, from Pyongyang which have been written in Korean.

Click here to see more images