Archive for category Equatorial Guinea

Film: Ridley Scott And Gerard Butler Team Up For Film About Simon Mann

Nov 17

Posted by Matt in Equatorial Guinea, Film | No Comments

Wow, this is unexpected?  It is also cool to see Ridley Scott do another Africa/conflict type film. Blackhawk Down was an outstanding war film, and Scott really hit the mark with that one

The other story about this, according to Mann’s twitter, is that he is talking with folks about doing a first person shooter game! Erik Prince has some competition in the gaming world I see? lol  Although I do not know if the game will be part of this movie, but even if it isn’t, it will still benefit from a movie.

Picture 32 400x60Film: Ridley Scott And Gerard Butler Team Up For Film About Simon Mann

Also, I kind of think that Gerard is not exactly the best choice of casting for Simon Mann. He doesn’t look like him, or even talk like him. But Gerard brings the star power, as does Ridley Scott, and I am sure Mann’s book fired up the imagination of both guys.  The question is, can a studio sell a mercenary film about a failed coup attempt?

The other question I have is if Ridley Scott and the writers will listen to what others might have to say about Mann and his book?  Because I am sure there are folks out there who disagree with what was said in the book, and would be very interested in making sure that all sides of this thing are fairly represented. It would also make for a more interesting movie if it had all of those perspectives. Who knows, and chalk up another film that we will track. -Matt

Edit: 11/18/2011– Simon Mann just confirmed in a tweet that the video game is part of the movie deal.

 

ridley scott gerard butler sliceFilm: Ridley Scott And Gerard Butler Team Up For Film About Simon Mann


Ridley Scott and Gerard Butler Team Up for Fact-Based Mercenary Pic
by Dave Trumbore
November 17th, 2011
Although director Ridley Scott is currently busy with the production of Alien-pseudo-prequel, Prometheus, that doesn’t stop him from taking on new projects. Especially when that project stars Gerard Butler (300) as a former British Army officer who puts together a group of mercenaries to attempt a coup against an African nation’s government. Scott is attached to direct and produce the thriller based on the real-life exploits of Simon Mann. The script, written by Robert Edwards (The Bomb in My Garden) will follow Mann through the failed coup, his imprisonment and eventual pardoning.

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Podcasts: Cry Havoc–Simon Mann Speaks At Chatham House About Coup Attempt In Equatorial Guinea

Nov 2

Posted by Matt in Books, Equatorial Guinea, Podcasts | No Comments

This is interesting. Simon Mann tells his side of the story at the think tank Chatham House. He is also promoting his book Cry Havoc (Jundi Gear Store) which details this coup attempt in Equatorial Guinea. I am sure it will sell well.

The other thing that I wanted to mention is that Eeben picked up on a story written about Cry Havoc over at News24, and they outright lied about Executive Outcome’s involvement with this incident. Eeben corrected the record and I wanted to put the word out through this blog as well. Here is a link to the post. To be clear, Executive Outcomes was not involved, did not back anything, and EO was officially shut down in December 31, 1998. The coup attempt took place in 2004.

Finally, if you are interested in following Simon Mann online, he has become quite connected. He is on Twitter , Facebook, and has a website he is using to promote the book. His Twitter account is very active and he talks about all sorts of stuff there. -Matt

 

Cry Havoc: Simon Mann’s Account of his Failed Equatorial Guinea Coup Attempt
Tuesday 1 November 2011
Location
Chatham House, London
Participants
Simon Mann, Author and Coup Attempt Leader

Discussant: Alex Vines, Research Director, Regional and Security Studies, Chatham House, and author, Well Oiled: Oil and Human Rights in Equatorial Guinea?Chair: Professor Nana Poku, John Ferguson Professor of African Studies and Dean, School of Social and International Studies, University of Bradford
Type: Members Events
The speaker will outline his version of events surrounding the failed coup attempt against Equatorial Guinea in 2004. He will contend that a number of governments had prior knowledge and offered tacit endorsement of the coup attempt.  ?For more information about the event please contact the Members Events Team
Transcript to follow.
Resources:
Cry Havoc: Simon Mann’s Account of his Failed Equatorial Guinea Coup Attempt (Click to download)
Click on the play icon to start playing the audio.

Q&A Recording (Click to download)
Click on the play icon to start playing the audio.

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Equatorial Guinea: Mann Returns To EG To Consult For Dictator That Imprisoned Him For Coup Attempt

Oct 29

Posted by Matt in Equatorial Guinea, Industry Talk | No Comments

      From being convicted and imprisoned for trying to overthrow Obiang, to becoming a consultant for the guy? Weird. Although one thing is for sure, Simon would be the ‘go to guy’ in order to sniff out other coups being planned against Obiang.

     The other thing that is interesting here is that Simon might actually be in a position to ‘influence’ Obiang, which the oil companies would really like. From what I have read, the oil companies hate dealing with this extremely corrupt nation and leadership, and I would too. Having a guy that has a leader’s ear like this, makes things a lot more easier when negotiating deals. (kind of like The Last King of Scotland movie)  Stay tuned, because this story just keeps getting weirder as time goes by. -Matt

Mann back in Equatorial Guinea – to work for leader he tried to oust

Mercenary advises Equatorial Guinea president

rule dividerEquatorial Guinea: Mann Returns To EG To Consult For Dictator That Imprisoned Him For Coup Attempt

Simon MannEquatorial Guinea: Mann Returns To EG To Consult For Dictator That Imprisoned Him For Coup Attempt

Mann back in Equatorial Guinea – to work for leader he tried to oust

By Kim Sengupta

25 October 2010

Simon Mann’s incarceration in a brutal prison for attempting to overthrow one of the most notorious dictators in Africa was turned into an international cause célèbre in a long and vocal campaign by family friends.

The former SAS officer is now free and has just taken up his first proper “day job” since his release: working for that very same ruler he was determined to depose, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea.

At the time of the bungled coup in 2004, Mr Mann is said to have declared to his friends that he was helping to deliver the people of the benighted nation from the depredations of their appalling leader, who had been accused, among other things, of being a cannibal.

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Industry Talk: The New Mercenaries ‘Made In Spain’

Jun 20

Posted by Matt in Equatorial Guinea, Industry Talk, Spain | 5 Comments

     This is cool.  I got a Facebook friend request from a security company in Spain the other day, and I decided to do a little research on this market.  I couldn’t find anything in english, but I did find some stuff in spanish and I thought it would be cool to Google Translate some stuff and post it up here. This is from last year, but still pretty interesting.

     The point of this post is that this industry is global and it is massive. There is security contracting news going on all over the world and it is easy to miss.  My readership has definitely fed me all sorts of  stories from around the globe, and has even helped in translation or with the local vibe of their market. That is information gold to me, and I really enjoy filling the archives of the blog with those stories.  Check this one out and let me know what you think.-Matt

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08diagonal93 web Pagina 1 Imagen 0002Industry Talk: The New Mercenaries Made In Spain

The new mercenaries ‘made in Spain’

Lucas Marco / Valencia

Thursday January 8, 2009.

Private military companies have been cropping up in the Spanish market. Formed by ex-military, they offer all kinds of services to businesses and governments in conflict areas worldwide.

Private military companies have been consolidated as a new actor in the conflict. An example is the massive presence of private contractors in Iraq with U.S. occupation troops. To the Professor of International Law and International Relations, Francisco Javier López Quel, the emergence of these companies “is part of a privatization process started in the early 90s that affects health or the prison system.” This generates “the outsourcing of basic services the state in relation to the defense” that involves “a change in structure of hosts.” The High Commissioner of United Nations Human Rights recognizes that “armed conflicts, terrorism, arms trafficking and covert operations by third Powers, among other things, encourage the demand for mercenaries on the global market.”

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Books: My Friend The Mercenary, By James Brabazon

May 26

Posted by Matt in Africa, Books, Equatorial Guinea, Industry Talk, Video | 1 Comment

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Maritime Security: U.S. Helps African Navies With Floating Academy

Apr 28

Posted by Matt in Africa, Equatorial Guinea, Maritime Security | No Comments

   I wanted to put this up, because they gave a mention to MPRI training the Equatorial Guinea navy.  I posted the job ad for this gig awhile back, and it is cool to hear a little something about it. Although the hardhat Stetsons decorated with the ‘stars and stripes’ is a little much for me. lol  Check it out. -Matt

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U.S. helps African navies with floating academy

Tue, Apr 20 2010

By David Lewis

ABOARD USS GUNSTON HALL (Reuters) – Men in blue overalls haul on the ropes alongside American crewmen sporting hardhats shaped as Stetsons and decorated in the stars and stripes.

“Pull harder! Coil the ropes!” one of the Americans barks at the “ship riders,” a term used for the West African sailors aboard the U.S. amphibious landing vessel as she slips her moorings in the port of Dakar.

This is a floating academy, part of an effort by the U.S. military to train local navies and coast guards to combat rising instability in the Gulf of Guinea — an increasingly important source of oil and other raw materials for western markets which has drawn huge international investment.

The United States says the destabilizing effects of piracy, drug smuggling, and illegal fishing in the area are also costing West and Central African coastal economies billions of dollars each year in lost revenues.

“You have an area that is traditionally a landward-focused region which is awakening to the impact of the maritime domain,” said Captain Cindy Thebaud, commander of the U.S. Navy’s Destroyer Squadron Six Zero and head of the project.

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Maritime Security: MPRI/L3 Awarded Maritime Security Work In Equatorial Guinea

Feb 24

Posted by Matt in Equatorial Guinea, Maritime Security | 4 Comments

     Awhile back I posted the job ad for this contract, and it sounds like MPRI has been given the go for it.  For you guys that were on standby or are currently involved, congrats and I hope it works out for you.

     I am still a little foggy as to what exactly MSEP will entail, and there might be a little bit of everything there.  The original job ad had positions in security, search and rescue, detainee processing, information technology, logistics/maintenance, and administration. I suspect it will all be ‘teaching’, as opposed to ‘doing’.  But you never know with this stuff, and there might be a little bit of mentorship going on here. This is a PMC (or now maybe a PNC) standing up a coast guard for Equatorial New Guinea, and that is definitely significant.

     Also, MPRI has some experience with Equatorial Guinea, as well as other gigs in Iraq and Bosnia. This definitely diversifies their contracts and is a good move in my opinion (not everything is in Iraq, which is smart). If any MPRI guys are reading this and would like to fill in some blanks, we are all ears. -Matt

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L-3 Awarded Maritime Security Work in Equatorial Guinea

Feb. 24, 2010

NEW YORK (BUSINESS WIRE) — L-3 Communications announced today that its MPRI division has been awarded a $58 million firm-fixed-price task order with the government of Equatorial Guinea to establish a Maritime Security Enhancement Program (MSEP). This task order is the first part of a multi-year contract, with a potential value of approximately $250 million. The MSEP is designed to provide nationwide coastal surveillance coverage for the Republic of Equatorial Guinea.

“This important contract award represents a strategic opportunity to contribute not only to the vital maritime security of Equatorial Guinea, but also provides a thoughtful approach toward establishing long-term stability for the entire region,” said Jim Jackson, general manager for MPRI’s International Group.

The MSEP envisions completion of a surveillance site network and operations centers in Equatorial Guinea within three years. This would be followed up by two years of sustainment and maintenance support for an estimated contract total of five years.

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Jobs: Maritime Security Enhancement Program, Equatorial Guinea

Dec 20

Posted by Matt in Equatorial Guinea, Jobs, Maritime Security | 3 Comments

   Another cool opportunity folks.  I am not the recruiter for this, and follow the instructions below if you would like to find out more about this position. MPRI is a good company and this should be an interesting gig. Good luck. -Matt

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 MPRI%20an%20L3%20divison%20Logo%20 %20Vector 6 11 08Jobs: Maritime Security Enhancement Program, Equatorial Guinea

Hello!

I would like to present you with an overseas employment opportunity on our new Maritime Security Enhancement Program (MSEP) in Equatorial Guinea.

The MSEP will be a major maritime security program which will involve the establishment of a broad range of electronic security and surveillance systems, to include site preparation and limited construction, and providing training for the host nation personnel to employ, operate, and maintain the systems, to include communications and command & control functions.

I’m immediately seeking former senior military personnel to assume leadership positions of either the Chief of Training and Curriculum Developer for the MSEP to be hired the first week of January, 2010 . Candidates must possess the following criteria:

·Fluency in Castilian Spanish (read/write/speak)

·Experience in Maritime security preferably as a member of the Navy or Coast Guard. However, candidates with similar experience and backgrounds will be considered

·Demonstrated experience in systems operations, logistics, and formal professional training/instruction

Additionally, I’m seeking former military personnel to occupy supporting positions in the following areas of expertise:

·Security

·Search & Rescue

·Detainee Processing

·Information Technology

·Logistics/Maintenance

·Administration

These individuals would be hired in the early months of 2010.

Are you interested? If so, please give me a call – my contact information is below. If not, please disseminate this information to those who you believe would be strong candidates for these positions as I would be happy to discuss these opportunities with them in greater detail.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you!

Christopher Gundersen

Human Resources – Recruiter

MPRI, an L-3 division

1320 Braddock Place

Alexandria, VA 22314

chris.gundersen@l-3com.com

Office (703) 664-6333

Cell (571) 232-7427

 

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Industry Talk: Simon Mann Paid £400k In Wonga To Buy His Way Out Of jail, Claims Nick Du Toit

Nov 24

Posted by Matt in Equatorial Guinea, Industry Talk | 1 Comment

   This just keeps getting better and more juicy with every detail that comes out.  If a movie is not made about this whole deal, I would be very surprised.  You watch, Nick will have a book deal to counter Simon’s book. Simon’s book which will more than likely thrash Thatcher and company, will probably motivate Thatcher to write a book to tell his side of the story. It will be the battle of the books–a ‘written word bloodbath’!  Frederick Forsyth, eat your heart out. lol -Matt

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Dogs of war ver2Industry Talk: Simon Mann Paid £400k In Wonga To Buy His Way Out Of jail, Claims Nick Du Toit

Dog of war Simon Mann paid £400k in wonga to buy his way out of jail, claims coup plotter

By Barbara Jones In Pretoria22nd November 2009

It was an extraordinary scene. British mercenary Simon Mann was deep in conversation with his chief prosecutor, the Attorney General of Equatorial Guinea, the man who had brought him to justice for plotting to overthrow the West African country’s government.

They sat close together, discussing large sums of money and poring over paperwork.

Then, like the celebrity prisoner he had become, Mann reached over and borrowed the Attorney-General’s mobile phone to call his home in England.

For the next 50 minutes, Mann berated his wife Amanda for failing to produce the funds he needed to buy his way out of prison.

What was holding up the bank transfer, he demanded to know. When would the money reach West Africa? Did she realise how urgent this was?

Looking on in astonishment were four of his fellow prisoners. Unlike him, they were shackled by chains on their wrists and feet and wore uniforms of grey and white stripes.

Also unlike him, they had no vast reserves of money to call up in order to buy freedom.

They had been summoned to one of their occasional meetings with the Attorney-General in a ground-floor room at Black Beach prison and had come face-to-face with Mann for the first time since they were all arrested in March 2004.

For Nick du Toit, Mann’s chief co-conspirator, it was a traumatic moment.

‘He seemed so relaxed, almost unaware of us,’ he said. ‘Then he wanted to shake my hand and was only slightly embarrassed that I was shuffling over to him in chains. He asked how I was and I said I was fine. It was unreal.’

Now back home in Pretoria, du Toit has given The Mail on Sunday the first authentic account of the moment of their release on November 3.

He also revealed details of the special treatment afforded to Mann during his time in Black Beach – which included hotel food and an exercise treadmill.

Mann, 57, was released after 14 months of his 34-year sentence, boasting to du Toit that it cost him nearly half-a-million pounds.

Two weeks ago, Mann flew home to his country estate in Hampshire in a private jet. He briefed a PR agent on his plans to write a book about his adventures and announced his intention to incriminate those he claimed were fellow plotters who failed to come to his rescue in jail.

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Legal News: Thatcher’s Son May Face Court Over Wonga Coup

Nov 10

Posted by Matt in Equatorial Guinea, Legal News | No Comments

   Here it comes.  Simon Mann is coming to get ‘ya’ Thatcher. Stay tuned. -Matt

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Thatcher’s son may face court over coup

PAOLA TOTARO HERALD CORRESPONDENT

November 9, 2009

LONDON: Sir Mark Thatcher, son of the former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, has revealed he became an informer for the South African Secret Service in a desperate bid to avoid being prosecuted for his role in a bungled coup in Equatorial Guinea.

In an interview granted for a book on the ”Wonga coup”, Sir Mark said he met an intelligence official from the SASS while he was under investigation by police for providing finance for the 2004 plot. He also said he had been accepted as a source for intelligence. He was arrested four days later by the Scorpions, a South African anti-corruption unit and charged under anti-mercenary laws.

The revelations, published in The Times, quote Adam Robert, an Economist journalist and author of the book.

The former SAS officer Simon Mann, who was pardoned and released from jail in Equatorial Guinea last week after being convicted of involvement in the coup plot, originally claimed that Sir Mark played a central role in the events and wants him to face justice.

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