Executive Outcomes Against all Odds Eeben Barlow GALAGO Acknowledgements The men of Executive Outcomes who read and corrected what I had written and who also gave me access to their photographs; the ex-SADF generals who added to what I have long suspected; the ex-Military Intelligence men who pleaded forgiveness for what they had done; the agents who ferreted out infonnation for us; the UN officials who gave me some glimpse of the organisation's duplicity; the governments that hired EO; publishers Peter and Francis Stiff for their input and indulgence; Peter Stiff who guided me and allowed me to quote from his works; and editor Tony Lavine and proofreader Rina Minervini for their assistance and guidance. · In particular, I would also like to thank the following people who gave me their time, opinions, accounts of their experiences and who were able to fill in many gaps: General Witkop Badenhorst, Riaan Bellingham, Rennie Blaauw, Louwrens Bosch, Harry Carlse, Carl Dietz, General Jannie Geldenhuys, Dries Hanekom, Mike Herbst, Renier Hugo, Bertie Jackson, Sonny Janeke, Juba Joubert, Craig Kotze, Jonathan Leach, Lafras Luitingh, Nico Palm, Rufan Palm, Pine Pienaar, Piers Pigou, Duncan Rykaardt, Lt Col Shikufa (Namibian Defence Force) General Phillip Sibanda (Zimbabwe Defence Force), Charlie Tait, Nic van den Bergh, Tony Viera, Arthur Walker-· and those who preferred to remain anonymous. Photographic credits Eeben Barlow archives, Rennie Blaauw, Jim Hooper, Sonny Janeke, Arthur Walker, Renier Hugo, Nico Palm, Kallie Coetzee, Nie van den Bergh, Al J Venter, Jannie Wools, Armed Forces, Raids, New African, Molotov Cocktail, New American and Sinar. The copyright of a few photographs are not acknow!edged, although the publishers have made every effort to establish authorship which has been lost in the mists of time or blown away by the winds of a changing South Africa. However, the publishers will amend or add credits in subsequent additions and make the necessary arrangements with those photographers not known at the time of going to print, or who have not been traced. Maps Riaan Bosch Contents Chapter Page Picture credits .............................................................................................. 6 Acknowledgements. ............................................................................... 6 In-text maps and illustrations, diagrams and picture sections ............... 9 Foreword. .................................................................................................. 10 1 In the beginning. .................................................................................. 13 2 Ambush at Cahama. ............................................................................. 19 3 I spy with my little eye ......................................................................... 32 4 My life as a 'Civil Co-operator' ........................................................... 52 5 Rising from the dust. ........................................................................... 77 6 Angola: tom apart by war. ................................................................... 94 7 A little town called Soyo .......................................................................... 99 8 Battle for Soyo and surrounding area. ............................................... 107 9 The investigation. .............................................................................. 124 10 A brief respite .................................................................................... 127 11 Planning for victory ........................................................................... 133 12 Preparing for war on several fronts ................................................... 142 13 Planning the redeployment of forces. ................................................ 177 14 The start of the 1994 offensive. ......................................................... 189 15 The beginning of the end ................................................................... 212 16 UNITA attack on Saurimo ................................................................. 228 17 Prelude to Cafunfu .................................................................................. 240 18 Fall of Cafunfu ........................................................................................ 258 19 Tragedy in Lunda Norte Province .......................................................... 269 20 The war continues .............................................................................. 282 21 Staggering towards peace ....................................................................... 290 22 Angola returns to war. ............................................................................ 301 23 Epilogue to the Angolan War: blood diamonds and blood money... 308 24 The tragedy of Sierra Leone. ............................................................. 315 25 Help us save Sierra Leone .................................................................. 321 26 Move to Mile 91 ................................................................................ 327 27 Relief of Freetown ............................................................................. 333 28 Retaking the Koidu diamond fields ................................................... 356 29 Dominating the diamond areas .......................................................... 361 30 Change of government in Sierra Leone ................................................. 368 31 We leave Sierra Leone ....................................................................... 377 32 Enter the United Nations ................................................................... 389 33 Illegal support of RUF rebels and breaches of UN resolutions by South Africa, Israel and Liberia ............................................................. 397 34 Taking and releasing hostages in Sierra Leone ................................. 401 35 An assassination to order!. ..................................................................... 408 36 Rescue in Irian Jaya ................................................................................ 411 37 United Nations investigates .................................................................... 422 38 Executive Outcomes: the Great Lakes myth ......................................... 439 39 The not so mysterious Dr Schultz .......................................................... 450 40 Papua New Guinea fiasco .................................................................. 453 41 Executive Outcomes at IDEX '97 ...................................................... 463 42 Blowing the lid off past operations .................................................... 467 43 Saudi Arabia ...................................................................................... 471 44 Leaving what I had started ................................................................. 480 45 The disinformation war. ..................................................................... 490 46 Sting of the Scorpion .......................................................................... 506 47 Vindication ......................................................................................... 509 48 Betrayal, closure and aftermath ......................................................... 514 49 Rewards of disinformation ................................................................. 523 50 Looking back in 2007 ........................................................................ 527 51 Afterword ........................................................................................... 532 Executive Outcomes: Roll of Honour ............................................... 533 Bibliography ...................................................................................... 534 Abbreviations ..................................................................................... 536 Appendix A: Corporations Mission .................................................. 538 Appendix B: Counting the cost. ........................................................ 540 Appendix C: Companies associated with Executive Outcomes ........ 543 Index .................................................................................................. 544 Photographs, in-text maps, illustrations and diagrams Page Colour and black and white photographs................... 161-176 and 337-352 Map of Africa showing where Executive Outcomes had interests. ........................... 12 Map of ambush at Cahama. ........................................................................................... 23 The author's army paybook indicating that his danger pay while on border duty was the princely sum of R4.50 per day. ................................................................ 31 The author's Military Intelligence identity card. Was the 'K9' meant as a portent of what was to come after he left Military Intelligence?. .......................... 49 Map of Angola. .............................................................................................................. 93 Map illustrating capture of Soya. ................................................................................ 122 Executive Outcomes: training programme for FAA ................................................... 143 A 'secret' DCC list translated from Afrikaans containing so-called 'essential elements of information on Executive Outcomes'. ..................................... 196 Executive