EXECUTIVEOUTCOMES

Against all Odds

By

Eeben Barlow

Revised Edition

Also by Eeben Barlow

Composite Warfare

Published in 2018 by

30˚ South Publishers (Pty) Ltd.16 Ivy Road, Pinetown 3610South Africawww.30degreessouth.co.za

Copyright © Eeben Barlow 2018

Edited by Marisa Robson

Cover design by Anthony Cuerden / ant@flyingant.co.zawww.flyingantdesigns.co.za

Typeset by Blair Couper

Printed in South Africa by Pinetown Printers (Pty) Ltd

ISBN: 978-1-928359-05-0 (Soft Cover)ISBN: 978-1-928359-10-4 (Hard Cover)

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, manipulated in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any mechanical, electronic form or by any other means, without the prior written authority of the publishers, except for short extracts in media reviews. Any person who engages in any unauthorised activity in relation to this publication shall be liable to criminal prosecution and claims for civil and criminal damages.

For the soldiers and airmen I had the great honour

of serving with, and at times commanding, especially

the men of 32 Battalion Reconnaissance Wing;

And for my agents who frequently risked so much and

asked only for my loyalty and support;

And for the governments who saw through what was

being said and written about Executive Outcomes and

continued to call on us for help;

And especially for the men of Executive Outcomes,

who turned their faces to the wind, and despite

incredible odds, triumphed where others had failed.

To those who made it back and those who didn’t—you

were giants among men.

May you never be forgotten.

Acknowledgements

The men of Executive Outcomes who read and corrected what I had written, and also gave me access to their photographs; the ex-SADF generals who confirmed what I had long suspected; the ex-Military Intelligence men who asked forgiveness for what they had done; the agents who ferreted out information for us; the UN officials who gave me a glimpse into the organisation’s duplicity; the governments that hired EO; publisher 30 Degrees South; and Nico Grobler for doing the maps.

In particular, I would also like to thank the following people who gave me their time, opinions, and accounts of their experiences, and who were able to fill in many gaps: General Witkop Badenhorst, Hennie Blaauw, Louwrens Bosch (late), Harry Carlse, Carl Dietz (late), General Jannie Geldenhuys, Dries Hanekom (late), Mike Herbst, Renier Hugo, Johan Dempers, Bertie Jackson, Sonny Janeke, Juba Joubert, Craig Kotze, Jonathan Leach, Lafras Luitingh, Nico Palm, Rufan Palm, Pine Pienaar, Piers Pigou, Duncan Rykaardt (late), Lt Col Shikufa (Namibian Defence Force), General Phillip Sibanda (Zimbabwe Defence Force), Charlie Tait, Nic van den Bergh, Tony Viera, Arthur Walker (late), Simon Witherspoon—and those who preferred to remain anonymous.

Photographic credits

Eeben Barlow archives, Hennie Blaauw, Jim Hooper, Sonny Janeke, Johan Dempers, Mynhard Heroldt, Arthur Walker, Renier Hugo, Nico Palm, Kallie Coetzee, Nic van den Bergh, Al J Venter, Jannie Wools, Johan Dempers, James Findlay, Deon Rudolph, Armed Forces, Raids, New African, Molotov Cocktail, New American, and Sinar. Ownership of a few of the photographs has not been acknowledged despite the publishers having made every effort to establish copyrights now 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 editions and make the necessary arrangements with those photographers not yet traced or known at the time of going to print.

Abbreviations

AA ...................................................................................................................................................................... Anti-aircraftAAA ................................................................................................................................................. Anti-aircraft artillery ABC .............................................................................................................................. Australian Broadcasting CorpAFRC ........................................................................... Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (Sierra Leone)AFV ............................................................................................................................................... Afrikaner Volks FrontAFV .................................................................................................................................... Armoured Fighting VehicleAGS-17 .................................................................................................................................. 30mm grenade launcherAGNU ..................................................................................................................... Angolan Govt of National Unity AN-12 ....................................................................... Antonov 12, four-engine turbo prop transport aircraftAN-32 ......................................... Antonov 32, two-engine, short-to-medium range transport aircraftANC ..................................................................................................................................... African National CongressAPLA ............................................................................................................................... Azanian People’s LiberationArmy ................................................................................................................................................. PAC’s military wingAWB ........................................................................................................................ Afrikaner WeerstandsbewegingB-10 ............................................................................................................................................. Russian recoilless rifleB-12 ............................................................................................................................................. Russian recoilless rifleBDF ......................................................................................................................................... Botswana Defence ForceBM-21 ............................................................................ Russian, wheeled 122mm multiple rocket launcherBMP ...................................................................................................... Russian tracked infantry fighting vehicleBOSS ............................ Bureau for State Security (South African forerunner to NIS and then NIA)BPA .................................................................................................................................................. Boere People’s ArmyBRA ..................................................................................................................... Bougainville Revolutionary ArmyBTC ....................................................................................................................................... Benguema training campC-130 ...................................... US Lockheed four-engine Turboprop tactical cargo and troop aircraftCAW ............................................................................................. Children associated with war (Sierra Leone)CCB ................................................................... Civil Cooperation Bureau (Covert SA Special Forces unit)CDF .................................................................................................................................................. Civil Defence ForcesCDF .............................................................................................................................................. Chief of Defence ForceCDIO .................................................................................................. Chief Directorate Intelligence OperationsCIA .............................................................. Central Intelligence Agency (US foreign intelligence agency)CID ................................................................................................................... Criminal Investigation DepartmentCI ...................................................................................................................................................... Counter IntelligenceCI Ops .................................................................................................................... Counter Intelligence OperationsCNDD ............................................................................................. National Council for Defence of DemocracyCODESA .......................................................................................... Convention for a Democratic South AfricaCSI ............................................................................................................................ Chief of Staff Intelligence SADFD-30 ....................................................................................................................... Russian 122mm towed howitzerD-40 ................................................................................................................................................... Forerunner of CCBDCC ........................................................... Directorate of Covert Collection (SADF military intelligence)DEA ....................................................................................................... Drug Enforcement Administration (US)DF ......................................................................................................................... Direction finding or defensive fireDF SOS ................ Defensive fire (save our souls), called in if enemy over-running own positionsDFA ............................................................................................................................ Department of Foreign AffairsDIA .................................................................................................................................. Defence Intelligence AgencyDRC ........................................................................................................................... Democratic Republic of CongoDshk ............................................................................................................................ Russian 12.7mm machine gunDSO .................................................................................. Directorate Special Operations (Scorpions)DST ........................................... Directorate of Special Tasks (South African military intelligence)DZ ........................................................................................................................................................................... Drop zoneEB ........................................................................................................... (Echo Bravo), Author’s call signECOMOG ................. Economic Community of West African States Cease-fire Monitoring Group ECOWAS .................................................................................. Economic Community of West African StatesEMLC ................................. Electronic, Magnetic, Logistical Component Technical Consultants and Manufacturers (Pty) Ltd. Special Forces technical front company.

FAA ........................................................................................................................ Angolan Armed ForcesFAPLA ................................................... Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola, renamed FAAFUR ............................................................................................................... Forward Looking Infra-Red FOO ................................................................................................................................. Forward observation officerFNLA .......................................... National Front for the Liberation of Angola (resistance movement)GCHQ .................................................. Government Communications HQ, British signals intelligenceGIT ....................................................................................................................................... Geo International TradingGNU ......................................................................................................... Government of National UnityGRU ................................................................................................................................... Soviet military intelligenceGS2 ........................................................................................................................................................ Army IntelligenceGSG .......................................................................................................................................... Gurkha Security GuardsHAG .................................................................................... Helicopter Administrative Area (from Afrikaans)HRW ............................................................................................................................................. Human Rights WatchIFV ......................................................................................................................................... Infantry Fighting VehicleIL-76 .............................. Ilyushin 76, a 4-engine, medium-range, strategic cargo and troop aircraftIFP .............................................................................................................................................. Inkatha Freedom PartyIMF ............................................................................................................................... International Monetary FundISS ............................................... Institute of Security Studies (formerly Institute of Defence Studies)JMC ............................................................................................................................ Joint Monitoring CommissionKGB .. Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (Soviet intelligence and security organisation)LAW ............................................................................................................................................ Light antitank weaponLLA ........................................................................................................................................ Lesotho Liberation ArmyLZ .................................................................................................................................................................... Landing zoneM-72 ...................................................................................................... US disposable anti-tank rocket launcherM-79 ................................................................................................................................ US 40mm grenade launcherMAG ............................................................................................................ NATO 7.62mm belt-fed machine gunMK ..................................................... Military Kommand—Umkhonto we Sizwe (ANC’s military wing)MI ..................................................................................................................... Military Intelligence (South Africa)MI5 .................................................................................... British internal security intelligence organisationMI6 .................................................................................... British external security intelligence organisationMi-8 .................................................................................... Russian Mil-8, twin-turbine transport helicopterMi-17 ........................................... Russian multi-role helicopter, upgraded export variant of the Mi-8Mi-24 ............................... Russian combat helicopter gunship with limited troop-carrying capacityMig-23 ........................................................................................................... Russian, swept-wing fighter aircraftMk-19 ............................................................................................................. 40mm automatic grenade launcherMONUC ................................................................................................................................... UN Mission to the DRCMPLA .................................................................................... Popular Movement for the Liberation of AngolaMPRI ............................................................................................................ Military Professional Resources, Inc.NATO ............................................................................................................... North Atlantic Treaty OrganisationNGO ....................................................................................................................... Non-governmental organisationNIA .................................................................................................................. National Intelligence Agency (RSA)NICOC .................................................................... National Intelligence Co-ordinating Committee (RSA)NIS ................................................................................................................... National Intelligence Service (RSA)NP .................................................................................................................................................... National Party (RSA)NPA .......................................................................................................................... National Prosecuting AuthorityNPFL ................................................................................................................. National Patriotic Front of LiberiaNPRC .......................................................................... National Provisional Ruling Council of Sierra LeoneOAU ............................................................................................................................. Organisation of African UnityPAC ........................................................................................................................................... Pan Africanist CongressPC-7 ......................................... Swiss Pilatus turbo trainer, a low-wing Tandem-seat training aircraftPASL .......................................................................................................................... People’s Army of Sierra LeonePKM ................................................................................................................... Russian 7.62x54mm machine gunPLAN .......................................................................................................... People’s Liberation Army of NamibiaPLO ..................................................................................................................... Palestine Liberation OrganisationPMC ....................................................................................................................................... Private military companyPNG .................................................................................................................................................... Papua New GuineaPNGDF ............................................................................................................. Papua New Guinea Defence Force

PRA .................................................................................................................................. People’s Republic of AngolaPW ..................................................................................................... Radio call sign for EO surveillance aircraftRDF .......................................................................................................................................... Rapid deployment forceRENAMO ............................................................................ National Resistance Movement of MozambiqueRPF ......................................................................................................................................... Rwandan Patriotic FrontRPG .......................................................................... Russian rocket propelled grenade (anti-tank weapon)RSNGWD ...................................................................... Royal Saudi National Guard, Western DeputationRSLMF ................................................................................................. Republic of Sierra Leone Military ForceRUF ................................................................................................. Revolutionary United Front (Sierra Leone)S & R .................................................................................................................................................... Search and rescueSACTU ................................................................................................ South African Congress of Trade UnionsSACP ...................................................................................................................... South African Communist PartySADEA .......................................................................................... South American Drug Enforcement AgencySADF ............................................................................................................................. South African Defence ForceSAEC ........................................................................................................................... South African Engineer CorpsSAM-7 ................................................................................ Russian shoulder launched surface-to-air missileSAMID ......................................................................................... South African Military Intelligence DivisionSANDF ..................................................................................................... South African National Defence ForceSAS .................................................................................................................................... Special Air Service (British)SAP .................................................................................................................................................. South African PoliceSAPS ............................................................................................................................. South African Police ServicesSARS ....................................................................................................................... South African Revenue ServicesSASS ............................................................................................................................... South African Secret ServiceSDCI .................................................................................................. Sub-division Counter Intelligence (RSA)SDECE .............................................................................................................................. French intelligence serviceSIG ....................................................................................................................... EO’s Strategic Intelligence GroupSIS ................................................................................................................. EO’s Strategic Intelligence SummarySLA ...................................................................................................................................................... Sierra Leone ArmySLPP ................................................................................................................................. Sierra Leone People’s PartySSC ................................................................................................................................. State Security Council (RSA)SSO ..................................................................................................................................................... Senior Staff OfficerStratcom ............................................................. Strategic communications, propaganda, disinformationSU-22 ....... Russian high speed, medium range low-level ground attack reconnaissance aircraft SWA .................................................................................................................... South West Africa (now Namibia)SWAPO ............................................................................................ South West African People’s OrganisationT-34 ............................................................... Russian (1940-1958) medium tank with 76.2mm main gunT-54 ................................................................ Russian (1947-1962) medium tank with 100mm main gunT-62 ............................................................ Russian (1961-1975) main battle tank with 115mm main gunTMA-3 ......................... Circular Yugoslavian non-metallic anti-tank mine made of cast explosivesTMM ............................................................................................................ Russian wheeled mobile bridge layerTRC ............................................................................................................ Truth and Reconciliation CommissionUAE .............................................................................................................................................. United Arab EmiratesUDA ................................................................................................................................... Ulster Defence AssociationULIMO ................................................................ United Liberation Movement, initially based in Liberia.UNAMSIL .................................................................................................................... UN Mission in Sierra LeoneUNAVEM .............................................................................................................. UN Angola Verification MissionUNESCO ............................................................... UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.UNITA ............................................................................. National Union for the Total Liberation of AngolaUNHCR ..................................................................................................... UN High Commissioner for RefugeesUP ...................................................................................................................................................................... United PartyUSIS ......................................................................................................................................... US Information ServiceUSSR ....................................................... Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (now Russian Federation)WFP ......................................................................................................................................... World Food ProgrammeZANU-PF ....................................................................... Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic FrontZCIO ............................................................................................ Zimbabwe Central Intelligence OrganisationZIPRA ........................................................................................................... Zimbabwe People’s Liberation ArmyZSU-23/4 ......................................................... Russian tracked, quad-barrelled 23mm anti-aircraft gun

10

Executive Outcomes: Against all Odds

Contents:

Foreword ........................................................................................................................................................................... 12

Author’s Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 15

01: In the Beginning ................................................................................................................................................. 17

02: Ambush at Cahama ........................................................................................................................................ 32

03: I Spy with My Little Eye .............................................................................................................................. 57

04: My Life as a ‘Civil Cooperator’ ............................................................................................................... 85

05: Rising from the Dust ................................................................................................................................... 118

06: Angola: Torn Apart by War .................................................................................................................... 138

07: A Little Town Called Soyo ....................................................................................................................... 146

08: Battle for Soyo and Surrounds ............................................................................................................ 157

09: The Investigation ........................................................................................................................................... 179

10: A Brief Respite .................................................................................................................................................. 184

11: Planning for Victory ...................................................................................................................................... 191

12: Preparing for War on Several Fronts ............................................................................................. 203

13: Planning the Redeployment of Forces .......................................................................................... 230

14: The Start of the 1994 Offensive .......................................................................................................... 248

15: The Beginning of the End ......................................................................................................................... 277

16: UNITA Attack Saurimo ............................................................................................................................. 302

17: Prelude to Cafunfu ......................................................................................................................................... 313

18: The Fall of Cafunfu ....................................................................................................................................... 337

19: Tragedy in Lunda Norte Province .................................................................................................... 373

20: The War Continues ...................................................................................................................................... 392

21: Staggering towards Peace ....................................................................................................................... 407

22: Angola Returns to War ............................................................................................................................. 423

23: Epilogue to the Angolan War: Blood Diamonds and Blood Money ...................... 435

24: The Tragedy of Sierra Leone ................................................................................................................ 445

25: Help us Save Sierra Leone ..................................................................................................................... 454

26: Move to Mile 91 .............................................................................................................................................. 462

27: The Relief of Freetown .............................................................................................................................. 472

28: Retaking the Koidu Diamond Fields ............................................................................................. 485

11

29: Dominating Koidu and the Kono District .................................................................................. 497

30: A Change of Government in Sierra Leone .................................................................................. 513

31: Leaving Sierra Leone .................................................................................................................................. 528

32: Enter the United Nations ........................................................................................................................ 544

33: Illegal Support to RUF Rebels and Breaches of UN Resolutions by South Africa, Israel and Liberia ................................................................................................. 553

34: Taking and Releasing Hostages in Sierra Leone .................................................................. 558

35: An Assassination to Order ...................................................................................................................... 567

36: Rescue in Irian Jaya ..................................................................................................................................... 571

37: Executive Outcomes: The Great Lakes Myth ........................................................................... 586

38: The United Nations Investigates ...................................................................................................... 603

39: The Not So Mysterious Dr Schultz .................................................................................................. 623

40: The Papua New Guinea Fiasco ........................................................................................................... 626

41: Executive Outcomes at IDEX ’97 ...................................................................................................... 640

42: Blowing the Lid off Past Operations .............................................................................................. 645

43: Saudi Arabia ...................................................................................................................................................... 649

44: Leaving What I Had Started .................................................................................................................. 661

45: The Disinformation War .......................................................................................................................... 675

46: The Sting of the Scorpion ....................................................................................................................... 702

47: Vindication ......................................................................................................................................................... 706

48: Betrayal, Closure and Aftermath ....................................................................................................... 716

49: The Rewards of Disinformation ........................................................................................................ 733

50: Looking Back in 2017 ................................................................................................................................. 739

51: Afterword .............................................................................................................................................................. 754

Executive Outcomes: Roll of Honour ...................................................................................................... 757

Appendix A: The Corporation’s Mission .............................................................................................. 758

Appendix B: Counting the cost ..................................................................................................................... 761

Appendix C: Companies associated with Executive Outcomes .......................................... 764

Sources ........................................................................................................................................................................... 766

12

Executive Outcomes: Against all Odds

Foreword

I first met Eeben Barlow in 1982.As a young and eager reconnaissance officer with 32 Battalion, he was tasked to conduct an operation in my area of interest, Angola. It therefore came as no great surprise to me to learn that he remained active in the sphere of security and military operations after leaving the SADF. I would only much later discover the extent of his activities.

He established Executive Outcomes (EO) in 1989 as a private security-and-advisory company but, through circumstance, changed its direction to become a military advisory company, or, to use the current term, a private military company. Apart from giving specialist covert training to the SADF’s Special Forces, EO provided high-level security advice, and training, to numerous foreign governments and large multi-national corporations. In addition, the company provided advice to a few NATO armed forces. It also became involved in fighting crime in South America.

After the Cuban withdrawal from Angola, the situation in that country deteriorated to such an extent that UNITA gained almost total control of Angola’s oil and diamond fields. This became a crisis for the Angolan government who were dependent on these natural resources. The election results of the 1992 Angolan election were rejected by UNITA, with some apparent encouragement by outside forces, which instead opted for a return to war.

By 1993, Executive Outcomes had just completed a high-risk security operation in Angola on behalf of numerous international oil companies. It was at the time that a desperate Angolan government urgently needed help to end a decades-old conflict. The world had already turned its back on Angola. The Angolan government thus contracted EO to reorganise, retrain and provide a strategy for ending the Angolan civil war. This contract called on a private South African company to support a legitimate government to ensure its sovereignty, all by means of a legitimate contract. The contract was, however, in direct opposition to the previous South African government’s policy because South Africa had, for years, supported UNITA.

Strictly speaking, South Africa could not object to EO’s contract with the MPLA, because South Africa no longer had an interest in the battle between FAPLA (and later FAA) and UNITA. The Cubans had long since withdrawn from Angola, and a democratic Namibia had been established. There was thus no longer a SWAPO threat. This was, however, still unacceptable to South Africa, and it had to devise a new method of attack on the company.

Initially, oblivious to the concern it was creating, and in order to carry out its contractual obligations, EO recruited a number of men from the SADF’s elite units such as the Reconnaissance Regiments, 32 Battalion, the Parachute Battalion as well as men from the South African Air Force. The majority of these men had already been retrenched from the SADF. Retrenched personnel from the police’s elite Koevoet counter-insurgency unit were also recruited as well as former members of the ANC’s military wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe.

EO’s strong points lay in its strategy development, planning, training and execution of strategy and tactics. The men at EO realised that they could not help