Interesting, but this is not very solid yet. I have been trying to find any information I could about Gaddafi’s supposed use of mercenaries to quell the current uprising there, and this is what I have found so far. Although this is hard to verify because there is a media block there, and Gaddafi has shut down the internet in his country.
I do know that guys like this have lots of money because of all the oil and foreign investment. There are reports of part of his military defecting because they are being ordered to attack the protestors. I don’t blame them for leaving and I wouldn’t want to bomb my own countrymen either. Which both points bring up the question of mercenaries as a possible solution for the dictator. Would Gaddafi hire thugs from outside of his country to do this dirty work?
Also, it would be easy for people to confuse the evacuations of expats and oil workers with some kind of mercenary invasion force. These PSCs are landing at airports to simple provide a secure transport for folks to get out. From what I gather, companies like SOS International will be involved in evacuations in Libya, similar to what they did in Egypt.
Finally, Libya is important to watch because it is an OPEC nation. If oil workers are being evacuated, then oil facilities could be shut down or in danger of being attacked. Not good and this will impact the oil markets. And if Saudi Arabia fires up as another domino in this string of uprising dominoes, then stand by for a major shock to the oil market. This will only get more interesting and complex as this fire continues to rage.-Matt
Edit: 02/23/2011 – Check out the comments below. I have posted some really interesting stories that have elaborated on the history of mercenary usage in the middle east, and especially Libya. I will continue to dump stories that are relevant in the comments.
U.S. struggles with little leverage to restrain Libyan government
By Mary Beth Sheridan and Scott WilsonMonday, February 21, 2011
…..Libya’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations, who broke with Gaddafi on Monday, urged the international community to impose a no-fly zone over the country to prevent mercenaries and arms from reaching the government. But no other major power echoed the call.
Link to quote here.
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Libya ‘uses mercenaries’ to keep order on streets as 200 die in violent clashes
20th February 2011
….Security sources suggested the leader has hired foot soldiers from neighbouring states to maintain law and order.
Marc Ginsburg, former U.S. ambassador to Morocco told CNN: ‘First and foremost he (Gaddafi) has security support from Sudan and Pakistan and his intelligence advisers have received significant intelligence support from former KGB officials who were part of the Eastern Bloc countries such as Bulgaria, Romania and Belarus.’
Link for quote here.
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Gaddafi recruits “African mercenaries” to quell protests
Saturday, 19 February 2011
Libya recruited hundreds of mercenaries from Sub-Saharan Africa to help quell a popular uprising that is threatening to unseat veteran leader Muammar Gaddafi after more than 41 years in office, witness told Al Arabiya from the eastern city of Benghazi on Sunday.The witnesses said protesters in Benghazi caught some “African mercenaries” who spoke French and who admitted that they were ordered by Muammar Gaddafi’s son, Khamis Gaddafi, to fire live ammunition at demonstrators.
The witnesses, who refused to be named for security reasons, added that they saw four airplanes carrying “African mercenaries” land in Benina International Airport near the city of Benghazi, the second largest city in the country. (more…)