A little tale about Rhodesia and forgotten wars in Africa (Mercenaries never die, they just go to hell to regroup)

Cessna A337 (Minuguns  are not in the picture)
(Picture I)

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Kimmo Huosionmaa

There are many conflicts in the world, what are ever mentioned in public media. Those conflicts are financed by illegal diamonds, what are dug from the Democratic Republic of Congo and other countries, where corrupted governments don't do anything for ordinary people. That's why the real power in those areas is in the hands of warlords, what are actually the bosses of some gangs.


Those gangs seem like some "Hells Angels" but their action is open and those gangs have even combat helicopters in their arsenal. In that case, those gangs have millions of dollar incoming fund if somebody wants to buy those diamonds. And even if the trade of those diamonds is illegal, the problem of that trade is criminal organizations like Mafia, what would change those diamonds to drugs like amphetamine and medical equipment, what are also needed in those places. And of course, Kalashnikovs and other weapons are very wanted products in that sector of illegal trade of diamonds. Many warlords of that area use mercenaries to support their organizations.


Have you ever heard about so-called "Rhodesian bush-war", what ended the era of white government in that area, and raised Robert Mugabe to the power in Zimbabwe, what is actually former Rhodesia, what changed it's named to Zimbabwe when that country returned as the British colony in 1979, but then after year later this country re-independent as the named Zimbabwe. The returning as the colony was everywhere seemed as the possibility to get support for the civil war from Great Britain. The reason, why I write about this country, is that in this civil war were fought many mercenary-soldiers, who are often mentioned in some cases of political assassinations. There are films about that war on YouTube, and there is very well seen, what kind of equipment is used in that war. And similar weapons and equipment are in use with many anti-guerilla operations and the way to operate those systems is normally similar in almost every case, where the aircraft is used.


First, the high flying jet aircraft would make the recon flights to some area, because they can cover very large areas in short time. This is very important because of those guerrillas would not be allowed to see those recon planes, what are taking photographs of that area. Then the strike-team arrives, and in those operations is used some quite slow and common aircraft and helicopters. Normally in the operations are used by Cessnas, what is equipped with rocket launchers and GAU-2 "Miniguns". Those  Cessnas might also have one minigun under their body, what gives extra firepower to that simple war machine. Similar equipment is used in Gazelle combat helicopters, where is twin machine guns in the side of the helicopter and miniguns in the middle, or there might be also rocket cassettes, what gives them high firepower.


Those systems are easy to install in any aircraft, and for that action, the installer doesn't need to have any NASA skills. And selling any airplane in conflict area might cause, that is used for military actions. The use of electric cannons makes easy to operate them, and it is needed only to put there one circuit switcher, and the pilot can operate them. Some AC-3 Dakota-gunships have similar systems and those gunships are also equipped with infrared cameras and in those aircraft is only needed for one man, who operates that minigun. Those gunships can also take paratroopers in the cargo bay, and the miniguns can be turned away from the doors.


When we are looking at the marching footage, we would see that some of those warriors use liquefication bags and internal droplet for surviving in that very hot place. In Africa finds many wars and conflicts, what normal people would ever hear. Rhodesian bush war is one of them, even that conflict ended years ago. But it is still school example of anti-guerrilla operations and many mercenaries, who worked in 1980's and 1990's began their career in that conflict. And many things, what happened there are still hidden in those bushes of that country. In that film is a part, where fly "Huey" helicopters, what was well known from Vietnam war.


Sometimes I have thought that the photographing that equipment had the purpose, was suggest the USA would give support for the government of Rhodesia, what was taken military support mainly from South Africa. Normally mercenaries work in two lines. They might give training to some organizations, and in this case, they would not take part in strikes, but sometimes those men want to see how their customers work in those situations, that this mercenary would know how to give right kind of training for those persons. This means that they make SWOT or necessity analyses about their customers, what are sometimes very feared and brutal men. Also, mercenaries are used in specific killing missions, where they might fly thousands of kilometers to combat zone, jump straight near them to the target, and then assassinate the leaders of opposite force or make some other things like destroying some important weapon cargo.


But sometimes those men are making war crimes and some of them are selling their services to some mafia-men. Those men are normally hired by some "security companies", what are giving jobs for those "dogs of war". There are claims that the official companies of war have no problems with the law in the Western countries, but there might be some unofficial companies, what would deliver also assassination jobs for their clients. And those companies claim that their workers are making some mining or forest work, and there are rumors that some of those people have very long and heavy criminal registrations.


They are good targets for recruiters of mercenaries because many of those people have no contact with their homes and families, and they might be also unemployed, and loss of money makes them sometimes allowed to take those contracts. That means nobody notices if they are sometimes out from their home. Also, some mining companies are hiring mercenaries for the security operators, what might mean ethnic clearances in some areas. Nobody ever convicted about those actions, but as we know that there must be persons, who have some problems with their moral. And as we know it, very easy to hide those men to work as the hired killers in the western countries.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodesian_Bush_War

The film:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41-dLH5YqeU

Picture I

http://i.imgur.com/asP0gll.jpg

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