Money, guns and politics mercenary times in papua new guinea. When the rufs offensive began in late 1998, the rebels used. Until the row broke out, spicer and his men from sandline had been attempting to. Sandline had subcontracted most of its crew for the bougainville mission through executive outcomes, a south african mercenary provider. In 1996, mann and several partners founded a new firm, sandline international, and hired lt. Executive outcomes was founded by eeben barlow, a former officer in the south african military who sought to use trained, wellpaid mercenaries to support covert. Executive outcomes drew its strength from south africas elite units, such as the 32. It was involved in conflicts in papua new guinea in 1997 and had a contract with the government under thenprime minister julius chan, causing the sandline affair. The best books on private armies five books expert. Australia impounds still has papua new guineabound mi24s.
This south african company has been sighted in most african war zones, where it is said to hold high influence. Oct 11, 2007 finally, the disappearance of companies like executive outcomes and sandline and the development of todays private security industry cannot be understood without the norm. Eo was one of the first of the private military contractors, set up around 1989, after it became clear that apartheid south africa was all washed up. Executive outcomes was a private military company pmc founded in south africa by former lieutenantcolonel of the south african defence force eeben barlow in 1989. After a week, a total of 44 had arrived, 8 from the uk, 5. Sandllines presence was rejected by pngdf commander. Its a ripping yarn about the start of the sandline days. Sof exclusive interview with author of executive outcomes.
On leaving the military, he cofounded the private military company, executive outcomes in 1993 and then cofounded sandline international with fellow exscots guards colonel tim. Cofounded a number of private military corporations including sandline international and executive outcomes simon francis mann born 26 june 1952 is a british former army officer and mercenary. Now mr mann is southern africa manager for a mining company called diamond works, which shares london offices with sandline. Sep 30, 2004 when south africa outlawed that sort of company, executive outcomes, located in south africa, closed up shop. In praise of sandline 1 aug 1998 the spectator archive. How does simon mann stack up among africas white mercenaries. The british intelligence report on executive outcomes is classified.
Escalating fighting within angola prompted executive outcomes. Africas new enforcers the independent the independent. The spectacle of sandline and executive outcomes dramatic humiliation at the hands. Discover delightful childrens books with amazon book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2, or 3 months new amazon book box prime. While sierra leone paid executive outcomes to fight the rebels, the. Dec 21, 2016 sandline executive outcomes included many ex south african special forces who had previously been used to enforce brutal apartheid policies. Against all odds is primarily an account of the iconic south african private military company pmc executive outcomes that operated in africa in the 1990s by its founder eeben barlow, a veteran of south african defense forces sadf 32 battalion reconnaissance wing, south africas military intelligence, and the controversial and secretive civil cooperation bureau ccb. House of commons foreign affairs minutes of evidence.
Executive outcomes wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. There is every likelihood that executive outcomes services, which are. Sandline international was a private military company pmc based in london, established in the early 1990s. Executive outcomes eo and sandline international are the two pmscs that participated in angolas and sierra leones civil wars. In the other end of the sliding scale of terrifying private militaries, we have executive outcomes, known to their friends as eo if they have any. Sandline international provides expertise in military and security matters. Hats off to penfold and sandline despite the rebukes of this weeks legg report. As such, it works closely with and contracts work to executive outcomes, which, with the possible exception of the. He set up another firm of mercenaries, executive outcomes, with. Against all odds is a personal account of a company that gained fame and praise through its successes, and notoriety through its detractors. Eo closed its doors in the 1990s when legislation in south africa outlawed mercenary activity.
After a week, a total of 44 had arrived, 8 from the uk, 5 from australia and the rest from south africa. If one has poor vision, this book would be very difficult to read. Natural resources and private military security companies. Chan was forced to resign, and the entire spectacle made world news as the sandline affair. Mar 19, 2016 sandline subcontracted most of its personnel from executive outcomes, only to be rebuffed by the papua new guinea army, which arrested and deported the contractors without shots fired. Executive outcomes was often loosely linked with the united kingdom private military company sandline international, but in 1997 sandline directly subcontracted executive outcomes for their operation in papua new guinea to oust the rebels holding the pangua mine on bougainville island which led to the socalled sandline affair when news of the governments intention to hire mercenaries was leaked to. Northbridge services group founders have identified through their cumulative experiences in various. Executive outcomes 1997 the bloody truth of the worlds most successful army of mercenaries. Executive outcomes this was the first of the private military companies which led to the spin off copycat companies such as blackwater, sandline international and all the other suppliers of contractors to iraq etc. Another of buckinghams unsavory business dealings in africa concerns diamond mining in namibia.
Jun 17, 2019 finally, the company executive outcomes surely comes to mind for those familiar with their actions in africa and in papua new guinea as a subcontractor to sandline international. Blood moneya short history of mercenaries in modern. In december of 1996 sandline was formally incorporated by barlow, buckingham, michael. Sandline is believed to have evolved out of executive outcomes, an entity registered in september 1993 by buckingham, barlow and mann, but never active. Executive outcomes eo1 has been called a new mercenary company one. Mann trained to be an officer at sandhurst and was commissioned into the scots guards, he later became a member of the sas. Spicer was recruited by the two men who had originally set up executive outcomes. The first mercenaries arrived on an air niugini flight from singapore on 7 february 1997. Nov 03, 2009 the former special air service sas commando and onetime member of the infamous private military contractors executive outcomes and sandline international, was pardoned by equatorial guineas. Limited, control risks group, sandline, and gurkha security group in great britain. The one downside of this book is the very small font print. Simon francis mann born 26 june 1952 is a british former army officer and mercenary mann trained to be an officer at sandhurst and was commissioned into the scots guards, he later became a member of the sas. Dinnen, sinclair money, guns and politics mercenary times in. This book will in part assess the role of the au in articulating collective and joint.
During the 1990s a new phenomenon has emerged in the form of the mercenary corporations such as executive outcomes or sandline. Sandline, in turn, had subcontracted mercenaries from the wdi known south african organisation, executive outcomes. The company officially owning sandline was adson holding and they were registered in the virgin islands. Without such support the ability of sandline to make a positive. Pmcs are basically what used to be known as mercenaries, or as frederick forsyth put it, the dogs of war. In 1998 in sierra leone sandline had a contract with ousted president kabbah and in liberia in 2003 was involved in a rebel. However, by 2006 barlow had formed a series of new security companies one of which was involved in the mission to track and rescue the kidnapped chibok girls from boko haram in nigeria. As the british equivalent to eo, sandline provides the same military services.
It said executive outcomes was a significant subcontractor of sandline and suppled a significant number of the personel brought to png by sandline. Jan 21, 2012 read the book by eeben barlow,the founder of and the author of. Executive outcomes was often loosely linked with the united kingdom private military company. Money, guns and politics mercenary times in papua new. Sandline affair wikipedia he was involved in negotiations with the president of equatorial guinea regarding the early release of coup plotters simon mann and nick du toit, who had worked for executive. An engaging, short but indepth account of front line soldiering in angola with executive outcomes the prequel to tim spicers sandline private military corporation.
Executive outcomes was often loosely linked with the united kingdom private military company sandline international, but in 1997 sandline directly subcontracted executive outcomes for their operation in papua new guinea to oust the rebels holding the pangua mine on bougainville island which led to the socalled sandline affair when news of. The commission also inspected documents in hong hong including a hong kong bank account in the name of sandline holdings. Opinion saving sierra leone, at a price the new york times. Larger font print would have made the book much easier and enjoyable to read.
In the congo crisis 19601965 they earned an especially unsavory reputation for greed, brutality and racism. Australia impounds still has papua new guineabound mi. This book is a project of the oxford leverhulme programme on the changing character of war. Since the pretoriabased pmc executive outcomes eo first emerged. Sandline had been contracted to blast the rebel leadership of the eight year old secessionist movement on the resource rich island of bougainville. Ten years ago, most public commentary focused on just three companies, executive outcomes and sandline of great britain both of which no longer exist and u. The staff of executive outcomes shy away from the label. The starting point is executive outcomes eo now defunct but not before morphing into sandline international and then ending up as aegis defence services, with a few stopovers inbetween. Sandline was dissolve in 2004 while executive outcomes suffered the same fate in 2009. Executive outcomes was often loosely linked with the united kingdom private military company sandline international, but in 1997 sandline directly subcontracted executive outcomes for their operation in papua new guinea to oust the rebels holding the pangua mine on bougainville island which led to the socalled sandline affair when news of the governments intention to hire mercenaries was leaked to the australian press. It is a story that cannot be told without including part of the founder, chairman, and authors eeben barlow story. Oct 30, 2002 the term has commonly been used to refer to executive outcomes and sandline international, two names used by a single group of british and south african businessmen and exmilitary officers. Though there was a network of companies thought to be affiliated with eo, the british pmf sandline is widely considered the be eo reborn. Private military companies, pmcs, executive outcomes, armed contractors.
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