Mercenary intrigue spotlights West Africa's oil curse
The story of the arrests of alleged mercenaries in Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea raises the question of paying trained operatives to intervene in African disputes.
In recent years the major development in freelance fighting for profit has been the appearance of private military companies which offer their services to governments and to commercial companies. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3501632.stm See also: #msg-2547525
If mercenaries are not used we sometimes see the US Military being implemented as A PUBLICLY FUNDED SECURITY APPARATUS FOR PRIVATE INDUSTRY. This, of course, is the modern-day function of the military, although many Americans still believe the nonsensical rhetoric that it operates in the interests of national defense. -Am #msg-2564651
Mercenary intrigue spotlights West Africa's oil curse
11 Mar 2004 13:33:18 GMT By Ed Stoddard
JOHANNESBURG, March 11 (Reuters) - Oil should have brought wealth and development to bitterly poor West Africa, but instead it has fuelled wars, coup plots and even mercenary intrigue.
Equatorial Guinea, an oil producer on the Atlantic coast, this week arrested what it called an advance party of 15 mercenaries, saying "enemy powers" and multinational companies had been plotting against the tiny state.
Two thousand miles away, Zimbabwe threatened to execute some 60 suspected mercenaries who authorities said had been on their way to Equatorial Guinea to join the plot.
Harare has accused U.S., British and Spanish spy agencies of involvement in the alleged plot that could have been straight out of a Frederick Forsyth bestseller.
In Forsyth's novel "The Dogs of War" it was the discovery of platinum riches in a remote African country that attracted an army of ruthless mercenaries. In West Africa, it is oil.
The region is increasingly important to the United States as it seeks to reduce dependence on Middle East supplies, and Washington keeps close watch as governments rise and fall.
The facts are often as murky as the state finances of some oil-rich African states, but analysts say one thing is certain: "black gold" can often attract trouble.
"Oil has historically been a cause of coups and conflicts in the region. It does bring out the worst in people," said Teju Akande, an analyst with UK-based oil consultancy Wood Mackenzie.
"We are talking about countries that historically have been very poor and oil is seen as fast money," Akande said.
OIL-POWERED PLOTS
The plot story swirling around Equatorial Guinea -- sub-Saharan Africa's third largest oil producer -- follows a coup attempt last year on West Africa's Sao Tome islands, which are expecting a gush of cash from crude.
The region's giant and sub-Saharan Africa's biggest oil producer, Nigeria, has seen its fair share of coups and military takeovers since independence in 1960 -- with oil wealth the prize for the big men who seized the reins of power.
Angola, the region's number two oil churner, suffered decades of civil war fueled by petrol and diamond dollars.
"Oil wasn't the cause of Angola's conflict but it gave the state the resources to fight for a long time," said Keith Campbell, director of South African-based political consultancy Executive Research Associates.
Oil can also equip a state with the means to thwart coups -- though this usually means it has spent far too much on guns and not nearly enough on its population. While oil has enriched a corrupt elite, it has stoked tensions with the have-nots.
"When you have big revenues coming in you can tighten your grip on power, as in Angola," said one UK-based oil analyst.
Regardless of risk or controversy, major international oil companies cannot resist the lure of West Africa. And it has also become a region of strategic importance to the United States, the world's biggest oil consumer.
In recent weeks U.S. generals have been criss-crossing the region on a mission they say is to seek ways of securing the unstable area against "international terrorism".
Regional analysts say they cannot rule out U.S. military action in the future to secure the flow of West African oil to U.S. markets to ease reliance on the volatile Middle East.
Iran’s Interior Minister is to leave for Sudan today. Iran and Sudan signed a MOU in areas of security, the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking when the Sudanese interior minister paid a visit to Iran last year. The United States is also planning on deploying troops to Sudan, which once gave refuge to Osama bin Laden, and where they will also encounter China, Malaysia and India.
Africa is ready to blow. -Am
Iran’s Interior Minister to Leave for Sudan Today TEHRAN, March 24 (Mehr News Agency) – Iran’s interior minister Abdulvahed Musavi Lari will head for Khartoum today at the invitation of his Sudanese counterpart.
Interior ministry spokesman Jahanbakhsh Khanjani said in a statement that during the minister’s three-day visit to Sudan the two sides will discuss issues of mutual interest including those concerned with security issues and the implementation of a memorandum of understanding already singed between the two Muslim states.
Iran and Sudan signed a MOU in areas of security, fight against terrorism and drug trafficking when Sudanese interior minister paid a visit to here last year.
Reference: The new arrangements for U.S. troop deployments focus almost entirely on oil producing countries that are considered critical to America’s energy needs. (Nigeria, Sudan, Gabon, Chad) These countries could very well supply nearly 25% of the petroleum the US consumes yearly. #msg-2564651 http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=2564651
China, Malaysia as well as India’s Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) are said to be keen on building positions in Sudan which once gave refuge to Osama bin Laden. #msg-2674354 #msg-2617840
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