New Era (Windhoek)
December 17, 2004
Posted to the web December 17, 2004
Joyce Ncube-Maccauley
Pretoria, South Africa
DESPITE the release of many of the 64 South African mercenaries caught red-handed at the Harare International Airport on March 07, 2004 at 19h30 local time on board a Boeing 727-100 for being directly part of a planned coup d'etat against the President of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, the case is not over.
Despite their repeated claim that they were on their way to protect certain mining areas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), their stories were proven throughout as lies to cover up. It now seems that the vast amounts of funds thrown into this attempt were not able to cover the tracks. It rather exposes those who paid for it.
President Nguema plans to sue the US-UK and Spanish governments for deliberately failing to warn him. According to his sources, the details had allegedly been known from the outset to the intelligence services of Washington, London and their proxy Madrid.
Meanwhile, serious investigations have led allegedly to uncover the real culprits behind this crime. They seem to be special intelligence services from particularly two western countries. Highly paid, experienced attorneys were able to skilfully refute the charges against the mercenaries. Various well-researched reports point out that those huge fees were directly paid from London and Washington.
Interestingly, all 64 mercenaries were uniformed, heavily armed with assault rifles, sophisticated communications and other military equipment. The leader of the group, South African Simon Witherspoon, could not verify the role, or the route, or tasks, or large arsenal of sophisticated weapons on board the Boeing 727-100. Earlier in his career, the former colonial-apartheid air force pilot, Steyl, had made his services available to the notorious South African army of mercenaries, "Executive Outcomes".
Preliminary proven investigations showed that this particular Boeing was initially in the service of the US-Air Force. It was sold to a private British company with the name of "Logo Logistics", registered on Virgin Islands by a company with the registered name of "Dodson Aviation" from Ottawa, Kansas in the USA. "Dodson Aviation" is closely linked to the Pentagon. "Logo Logistics" has a representative office in South Africa. At the time of confiscation of the flight documents, the mentioned company was registered in Sao Tome and Principe.
When the above Boeing was grounded at Harare International Airport, the US military attaché in Zimbabwe was the first official to arrive. He tried to have immediate access to the crew and leader on board, but was stopped by the Zimbabwean authorities. Why would the American military attaché try to intervene in this case and how did he get to know of it so soon?
The investigations of the above case repeatedly confirmed reports that the mercenaries' destination was indeed Equatorial Guinea.
If the coup d'etat had been successful, the so-called opposition leader and proxy, living close to Madrid, Spain would have taken over power and the country's rich oil and gas resources would have been made available to "international" oil companies, particularly those of the US, UK and Spain. While preparations for the overthrow of the head of state were going on, that "opposition leader" was in fact circling the West African air space in a jet, waiting to land as the new head of state of Equatorial Guinea.
Evidence has led to damaging implications that the intelligence services of the US, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the UK, the MI6 were involved. It was also found that the British leader of the group of mercenaries, Simon Mann, was a former employee of the British "Special Airborne Services" (BSAS). Mann was also employed by the alleged holding company of the South African mercenary army, "Executive Outcomes" - a company still operating from Johannesburg, "Branch Energy". British Eton-educated elitist net-worker Simon Mann was promised the handsome reward of one million pounds Sterling and mining rights in a part of Equatorial Guinea.
The weapons on board the aircraft, which would have been used in the coup in Malabo, were supposed to have discredited Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe and his Zanu-PF government.
Investigations further established that members of the group of mercenaries had close contact from the onset with so-called "private" military organizations "Military Professional Resources Incorporated", with its headquarters in Washington and "Sandline International" with its headquarters in London. Planning and strategic preparations for the toppling of Equatorial Guinea's head of state and his government were done in covert joint venture.
Equatorial Guinea had sent a delegation from their Special Intelligence Services to Harare, Zimbabwe, to inform president Robert Mugabe that an advance group of 20 highly trained mercenaries under the leadership of the South African, colonial-apartheid Colonel Nicolaas du Toit, had already been arrested in Malabo.
Their cover had been blown. During interrogation they admitted close cooperation with the US-CIA, the British-MI6 as well as the Spanish Secret Services.
In South Africa a Cape Town high court has ruled that Sir Mark Thatcher has no option but to answer questions about his alleged involvement in the foiled coup in oil-rich Equatorial Guinea, despite his repeated, but yet unproven, denials.
As Washington officially denied any part in this unsuccessful coup in Equatorial Guinea, it also immediately made considerable financial aid available to Malabo.
It would thus not come as a surprise that most, if not all participants in this crime would be released and to crown it, receive handsome financial rewards from their handlers in London and Washington. So, it is true: the one who pays, stays.
The former director of United Nations Affairs on the National Security Council from 2000 to 2001, Richard Wilcox, called in an article he wrote in the New York Times on October 14, 2004, for "a top American military commander focused solely on Africa and with significant resources at his command". Richard Wilcox writes in the same article, "with American interests and military activities on the (African) continent ever increasing, it's time for Africa to have its own regional command".
"Often called America's "pro-consuls", combatant commanders are in charge of all United States military operations in their region. They carry more weight with heads-of-state than any ambassador."
The former National Security Council director further writes, "Combatant commanders are the most powerful voice".
Richard Wilcox claims in his article: "Establishing an African Command would be more than a symbolic manifestation of America's commitment to Africa. The American military is training forces in peacekeeping in 10 African countries.
The Navy has conducted major exercises off West Africa, an area that, according to a recent study by the National Intelligence Council, may surpass the Persian Gulf as a source of oil for the United States in a decade."
He writes on: "And any major peacekeeping intervention in Africa, with or without United States combat forces, will require American logistical and intelligence support."
The above explains Washington's serious interest in Africa better than anyone could do before. The woes of Africa have just begun. We ain't seen nothing yet!
http://allafrica.com/stories/200412170499.html
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