Amerikans: What democracy?
Bush teams up with old apartheid buddies to pick new neo-colonial lackeys in Africa

*See also, "Why do you oppose democracy?"

Equatorial Guinea: A smaller Iraq

The United $tates, England and Spain have conspired to overthrow the government of Equatorial Guinea. Mercenaries caught in the act confessed on television March 10th.

The mercenaries sought to replace President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo in Equatorial Guinea with a man in exile in Spain, Severo Moto. Equatorial Guinea used to be Spain's colony. With money from the U.S. Government and multinational corporations and a promise of oil interests, the mercenaries went into action.

Since England has lately criticized Zimbabwe to the point where Zimbabwe withdrew from the Commonwealth England heads, it is only fitting that Zimbabwe holds most of the mercenaries captured, 64. "Some of the men were said to have been former members of the notorious 32 Commando of the South African defence force, a clandestine unit of the apartheid regime who went on to join the equally controversial private military company Executive Outcomes, which carried out military operations for the governments of Sierra Leone and Angola in the 1990s. It was formally disbanded in 1999, largely in response to South Africa's Foreign Military Assistance Act, which outlaws mercenary activities."(1)

Equatorial Guinea caught another 15 people, the advance party: "The 15 people detained comprised white South Africans, black South Africans of Angolan origin, a German and others from Kazakhstan and Armenia, officials said on Tuesday."(2)

In the Amerikan mind, it is clear that Arabs have oil. However, Equatorial Guinea started pumping oil in the 1990s and is not so famous. Nonetheless, it pumps 350,000 barrels a day, the third highest of countries in sub-Saharan Africa.(1)

It just so happens Zimbabwe also caught a British military intelligence officer attempting to greet the plane full of mercenaries--Simon Mann. Of course, the description of him is that he was "former"(2) British SAS specialist. In the spy world, there are never "current" spies caught. Such admissions would defeat the purpose of having "secret services."

The plane carrying the mercenaries in Zimbabwe was Amerikan. Whether it be Haiti or Iraq or Zimbabwe, what we see is Bush going back to the Reagan-era and rehabilitating all his buddies of torturer and mercenary fame. Back then, the Reagan administration justified it as a response to the Soviet Union. Today there is no such excuse and so the imperialists seek to keep it quiet.

Besides, the dictator of Equatorial Guinea thought he was a friend of the united $tates. He has property there and an oil deal.

We say to all the lackeys and wannabe lackeys out there in the Third World: look at Noriega from Panama, Saddam Hussein in Iraq and Aristide in Haiti. It does not matter whether or not the CIA puts you on payroll and lets you own nice houses in Amerika. National pride should come from action like this--catching mercenaries for imperialism always trying to exploit the Third World a little harder.

England admitted that it has no comment and generally does not have any comment about its secret services. It's important to understand the implications of this policy and the whole concept of secret services.

An English gent providing a cover for the mercenaries caught in Zimbabwe says they were headed to the Congo to guard mines.(1) We don't imagine that it will amuse Zimbabwe very much, given the discovery of wire-cutters and camouflage uniforms in the plane and the flight plans contradicting the story.

Since these secret services are secret, these mercenaries do not stand much chance of a defense in any case. With such a "principled" stand by Tony Blair, the entire Third World has justification for executing every English national as a spy. After all, Blair will not deny it and more importantly, won't abolish secret services. Even better as of March 12th, the United States State Department and embassy in Equatorial Guinea have nothing to say on their web pages.

Of course, then this same Tony Blair and other imperialists will complain when Third World countries do just that--execute spies. Such attacks on civilians --some who are not really civilians--will then be counted as "terrorism" by the same imperialists.

Equatorial Guinea should nationalize all the assets of the multinational corporations involved in the plot--any companies from the United $tates, England and Spain including Exxon-Mobil, Amerada Hess Corp, U.S. ChevronTexaco Corp, Noble Energy Inc, Devon Energy Corp and Houston-based Marathon Oil Corp.(4) Any companies innocent in the plot should sue their own governments for damages instead of Equatorial Guinea.

We stand behind Zimbabwe if it wants to execute the mercenaries. If it does not, it may look like Zimbabwe aided the conspiracy and hosts mercenaries attacking others. If any imperialist invades to back its mercenaries or to punish Zimbabwe or Equatorial Guinea, Africa should unite to throw out the invaders. The conflict in Equatorial Guinea is an extension of the conflict in Iraq. It is U.$. imperialism against most of the world, aided by partners in England and Spain.

Notes:
1. http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1168389,00.html
2. http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=472686§ion=news
3. http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/story.jsp?story=500330
The same newspaper in England tied to British intelligence refers to SAS in the present tense in another article on the same subject. http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/story.jsp?story=500325
4. http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/africa/03/10/guinea.plot.reut/