Mann overboard: Coup involved Thatcher, Spain and South Africa

Simon Mann told a court in Equatorial Guinea that not only was Sir Mark Thatcher a part of the failed coup, he was one of the ringleaders. He also confirmed: “By January 2004, the operation was like an official operation because the Spanish government and the South African government were both giving the green light,” he said. “Their involvement was clandestine and they will never admit it.”

As most of you will recall, during 2005 Thatcher was given a fine and suspended sentence in terms of a plea bargain which saw him pleading guilty to infringing local anti-mercenary laws. He claimed to have paid unwittingly for the use of a helicopter but denied any knowledge of the coup.

Prosecutors allege that Mann was planning to lead a group of mercenaries to overthrow president Teodoro Obiang of Equatorial Guinea and replace him with political rival Severo Moto. The mercenary was of course arrested in Zimbabwe for illegal arms acquisitions, and served four years for that offence.

Mann told the court that Sir Mark Thatcher was part of the “management team” plotting a 2004 coup in the tiny West African nation and that the son of Margaret Thatcher was far more than just a blind investor in the plot. In addition, he confirmed that Eli Calil, a London-based millionaire, was “the boss” of the coup plot. The co-conspirators would have shared in the wealth of the oil-rich nation once they had installed their own president.

Yahoo confirms: “In the 1990s, Mann had set up a security consultancy called Executive Outcomes to protect businesses in conflict zones, and allegedly earned millions from Angola to guard oil installations against rebel attacks.”

He also set up another private security firm, Sandline International, which was soon being linked to a 10-year civil war in the West African country of Sierra Leone, one of the most brutal conflicts in modern history.

In an interview with Britain’s Channel 4 News from his prison cell in Malabo, Mann acknowledged having been involved in the coup plot, but said that he had not been the mastermind.

He accused Spain and South Africa, and named Calil as having been involved.”

The Independent says that Mann was in contact with an intermediary who was in contact with South Africa’s intelligence services.

“I am very, very sorry for what I have done. I am also very happy that we failed … I think that the people that were seriously involved in this and have not faced justice, they should do so,” Mann told the court ”

In May 2007 there was speculation that Mann would be charged if he returned to South Africa, but this went by the by as he was extradited to Equatorial Guinea.

News 24 confirms that the allegations are that Mann, together with the 61 arrested in Harare, were to collect the arms before teaming up with South African Nick du Toit. He has already been sentenced to 32 years in Equatorial Guinea.

The BBC has a full profile on Simon Mann :

Mann also did an interview with Carte Blanche which you will find of interest. It confirms that the South African government’s position is that Mann’s version is a fabrication and that they were thanked by Equatorial Guinea for helping to foil the plot.

All in all, a very juicy story unfolding in Africa.

As a change of pace, I thought we could ask ourselves a few questions unrelated to Zimbabwe or the ANC:

(This doesn’t preclude comments relating to the government — that is over to you — simply a different angle.)

Why do young men from Britain and South Africa involve themselves in highly dangerous ventures such as this or even Iraq? While I understand that many may need the money guys like Mann and Thatcher, if he was a party, certainly do not.

In addition, can you give any credibility to a man who claims to be happy that the coup failed? Clearly he must be devastated by the fact that instead of rolling in millions on a beach somewhere, he is on trial in Africa.

Worse for me is his “candid” interview with Carte Blanche where he says that he was primarily concerned with helping the poor people of that country. That may have been collateral but never front and centre in his thinking. If he wanted to rid Africa of a despot, then this was not the way to do it.

It’s never boring in Africa.