Feral Jundi

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Industry Talk: Picking Sides In Libya–A Cautionary Tale

Libya has been a very interesting conflict to follow. From the battle field tactics and strategies of the rebels, to the involvement of the world in trying to help things. We also witnessed R2P becoming a reality, as a means for intervening.

Probably the most interesting aspect of this conflict though is the involvement of foreign volunteers, mercenaries, and security contractors. Of course all three of these classifications have cross overs into one another, and the politics of the conflict have made things even more fuzzier. lol

Either way, I thought I would touch on a key aspect of warfare, in the history of wars, and that is picking the right side in a conflict to work for. Because if you choose wrong, you could very well end up getting executed or imprisoned for life. You could also have your reputation destroyed because of your involvement in a non-sanctioned activity.  If you choose correctly, you could end up being pretty wealthy, or at least have work with a new government.

The thing to remember about picking sides though is that like with stock picking, you need to remove emotion from choosing your sides. You must be pragmatic in your choice, and be willing to accept the reality of your client, if they have gone bad or have become a wanted man to the country you reside in.

Meaning, several years back, Gaddafi was actually an ally of sorts, and the west was doing business with the guy. He was also anti-Al Qaeda, and was certainly taking them to task in Libya.

But then the Arab Spring happened, and all of those years of being a brutal dictator caught up with Gaddafi and the people spoke. The West also took a hint from other countries falling due to this middle eastern revolt, and decided it was best to switch sides and support the people against Gaddafi.  And of course the West also had some bad history with Gaddafi back in the eighties, so it was easy to switch gears and label the guy public enemy number 1.

So what am I getting at here?  Well below I have found numerous individuals and groups highlighted by the media as foreign volunteers, mercenaries, and security contractors in this war. Each individual or groups all had their reasons for picking their side in the conflict, and all of them either benefited or paid the price for that choice. At one time, their relationship with Gaddafi’s regime was a non-issue or even supported. And then one day, that relationship becomes a ‘no go’ and Gaddafi is the bad guy.

The point I wanted to make is that if you plan on entering a conflict like this, you must get educated on the history of the players, know the laws, and know exactly who the good guys are and who the bad guys are, based on what country you are from.

For example, in the US we had several individuals who just volunteered to fight with the rebels. How is this not mercenary? But because the US switched loyalties from Gaddafi’s camp to the rebels, then anyone who fought for the rebels was ‘good to go’. You were not a mercenary in this case, and instead you were a ‘foreign volunteer’ fighting the good fight.

And yet in the US and western media, there was an incredible amount of heart ache and protest about Gaddafi using mercenaries. To Gaddafi and his supporters, these were foreign volunteers or security contractors. Hell, a couple of years back, the west would have called them foreign volunteers and security contractors, helping out an ally. The winds of change…..

Logic being though is that if you wanted to enter this market, and you are a citizen of the west, then now you know what side of the conflict you are on (or should be on). Join Gaddafi, and you are a bad guy mercenary. Join the rebels, and you are a good guy foreign volunteer or security contractor. And doom on you if you haven’t been following the news and doing your research to figure what side your country is on, and what is the current status of the governments and rebels/insurgents in a conflict.

So with that said, I wanted to post a few notable individuals and groups in this conflict that ‘picked sides’. You might agree with their choice, and you might not. But they made their choice based on money, loyalty, or principal–or some combination of all of these. This is nothing new in the history of conflict, but it is interesting to watch it play out in real time and on a world stage. Every aspect of these conflicts are recorded, filmed and talked about, and that is what makes this a unique deal to study and observe. –Matt

 

The Ontario man who helped Muammar Gaddafi’s son flee Libya
Stewart Bell
Oct 29, 2011
A private security contractor and former soldier from Canada has admitted he helped Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s son Saadi flee Libya last month as Tripoli was falling to anti-Gaddafi rebels.
Gary Peters is president of Can/Aus Security & Investigations International Inc. in Cambridge, Ont. He is also Saadi Gaddafi’s longtime bodyguard and admitted he was part of a team that drove the late dictator’s third son across Libya’s southern border to Niger.
The convoy was ambushed after it had crossed back into Libya and Mr. Peters was shot. He returned to Toronto’s Pearson airport in September, bleeding heavily from an untreated bullet wound to his left shoulder.
“I got hurt over there so I come back,” he said when approached this week by a National Post reporter. He said he had been providing security to members of the Gaddafi family since 2004 and had continued to do so throughout the NATO campaign against the dictator. He worked mostly for Saadi but said he had also briefly guarded Col. Gaddafi’s sons Saif al-Islam and Hannibal.

(more…)

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Industry Talk: Secopex CEO Pierre Marziali Killed In Libya

Rest in peace to the fallen and my heart goes out to the family and friends of Pierre.  I had no idea that Secopex was operating in Libya, and this is pretty big news for a couple of reasons.

The first is if this was an intentional targeting, the objective is pretty clear. By killing the CEO of a major PMC in country, this brings great attention to the fact that the west is now using it’s own version of ‘mercenaries’ or PSC’s in Libya to do their bidding. There was great outrage in the beginning of this conflict by the west/media that Ghaddafi would actually contract with private forces, and yet here is the west doing the same thing. It is a killing that reflects the hypocrisy.

I guess this incident happened at a police check point and the others in the party were arrested as well.  There is no telling what will happen to them, and they might be used as political pawns in a media game that Ghaddafi could play. For those familiar with Iraq or Afghanistan warfare, the insurgencies have used fake police check points as a means to do all sorts of nasty things. I have no doubt that similar tactics will continue to happen in Libya as a tool of whatever side in the conflict.

Another thought that came to mind is that I wonder if one of Ghaddafi’s mercenaries actually thought this one up as a strategy? Could this be a case of PMC versus PMC  or private forces versus private forces in Libya? Who knows, but if the west plans on using private force in Libya, the possibility exists that you could have PMC’s/PSC’s battling one another in one form or another.

I am also curious as to what are the services that France’s largest PMC was going to provide in Libya other than basic security stuff? And why was the CEO on the ground involved with this activity?  To give a comparable US example, this would be like the CEO of DynCorp getting killed in Libya.  So if you have the CEO on the ground in a madhouse like Libya, then I imagine that there was some very interesting planning and advising going on.

Although at this time, I haven’t a clue as to exactly the kind of services Secopex was providing and I am sure the story will develop as more details come out. If the company or anyone familiar with this story would like to provide more details in the comments or in private, please feel free to do so. –Matt

Edit: 5/18/2011 – Here is the official statement from Secopex about Pierre’s death.

Mr. Marziali was in Benghazi for the creation of a branch office destined to provide close protection services. The circumstances of his death remain unknown at this time.
The other members of the company with him are currently being held by the rebellion. The Quai D’Orsay expects their liberation within the following days. We do not know the reason for their arrest.
We will respond to the insulting and libelous allegations in due course.
Mr. Marziali’s served his country for twenty five years. Until his death he worked in respect of the laws of the Republic. He was a man of honor.

Pierre Marziali, CEO of Secoplex.

Head of French Security Company Killed in Libya
By KAREEM FAHIM and MAÏA de la BAUME
May 13, 2011
The president of a French private security company who had scheduled a meeting on Thursday to discuss business opportunities with opponents of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi died in a hospital here on Wednesday, apparently after he was shot in the stomach, the French Foreign Ministry and rebel officials here in Benghazi said.
The circumstances that led to the shooting were murky on Thursday, as was the status of four of the executive’s colleagues, who were reported to have been detained. No one seemed to be sure who was holding them: Benghazi’s civil prosecutor referred questions to military prosecutors, who in turn said they could not comment on a continuing case.
“We are very sorry for what happened,” said Gen. Ahmed al-Ghatrani, a rebel military spokesman, who blamed “gangs that the old regime used,” without providing additional details. (more…)

Monday, June 16, 2008

News: French Security Firm to Curb Piracy in Somalia

     Interesting news, and we’ll see how it goes.  I have no clue if Secopex is hiring or not, and the best thing to do is just ask them direct if you are are wanting to get in on this contract.  My guess is they already have their guys lined up, and they are all probably French.  But you never know, so give them a call if you are interested.  –Head Jundi

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 Secopex

 

French security firm to curb piracy in Somalia

Saturday, 14 June 2008

Somalia: A private French military firm signs a contract with Somali authorities to boost the security off the country’s coast. Pierre Marziali, CEO of the firm Secopex said the country has been plagued by high-profile piracy in recent years. He added that the deal would “strengthen maritime business” off Somalia.

The deal is estimated to be worth between 50 and 100 million euros (USD 75-150 million) annually for the next three years and comes after the hostage-taking incident by Somali pirates of a French luxury yacht, the Ponant, in April.

Marziali went on to add, “Our core business is primarily in the US” and went on to say that the Ponant case had played a role in its signing the deal with the Somali authorities, AFP reports said.

The contract amount will depend on a review of existing facilities in Somalia, and will be used to set up a “unified coastguard, creating a comprehensive coastguard information system” as well as forming a special bodyguard for Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed.

Secopex can mobilize up to 2,000 people from around 40 trades, including divers, translators, pilots and nurses.

The firm was founded in 2003 and provides private security, bodyguards, and security advice and auditing and the branch in Carcassonne, southern France, specializes in private military services to sovereign states.

Story Link

 Secopex Company Link

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