Apart from being a profound, compelling and fascinating read, the book breaks new ground in terms of examining the interaction between the political and military especially the relationships within emerging countries and their interaction with so-called world- and regional leaders. Where does the transition from political process to direct conflict happen and how, in the African scenario (with particular reference to South Sudan, the World’s youngest country, the future of which sits on a knife edge) could this horrifying situation be resolved?
It is a must for anyone who has an interest in international politics, the socio-political scenario in Africa, its relations with the rest of the world and the prospects of its people. Will reflects a sensitive understanding for the upliftment of the underprivileged and developing people in the world. It seems that there is a genuine wish among many to assist these seemingly hopeless cases of the world, but sadly many attempts have been fruitless and have benefitted an unscrupulous minority which has been massively enriched from ill-gotten gains.
But it is not only a book for the studious temperament, it is an evocative and an easy, awe inspiring read. It has huge pathos and tragedy but it has a good ending!
Will Endley has a formidable reputation in terms of his military career and capacity as a soldier and a leader, in particular (having served successfully in the heat of battle, holding commands in some of the elite fighting formations in the old SA Defence Force, as well as in peacekeeping operations and leading the integration of the combatants in the Southern African conflict for freedom of political aspirations). He has an equally impressive reputation in the work he has done in the support of humanitarian organisations including the UN in ‘de-mining’ activities (lifting of potentially dangerous landmines) in such ‘hot-spots’ as Afghanistan and Iraq and most recently of course in South Sudan.
He is the only person I have ever come across who has been so compromised as to have been arrested under false pretences and imprisoned, faced an utterly flawed court process and was remanded in custody facing an illegally imposed death sentence in horrific circumstances. It is with staggering strength of character and resolve that he describes his survival in these lonely conditions until after his release was achieved by his sister, Charmaine Quinn, other family members and friends.
At all times he remained faithful to his friend and close ally, Vice President of South Sudan, Riek Machar, who had appointed him to oversee his security arrangements and who himself has experienced massive betrayal and huge frustration in trying to set South Sudan on a course to stability and ultimately a sustainable position (and indeed even wealth) in the face of gross greed and mismanagement.
The book is structured interestingly, starting off with biographical details which confirm his personal capacity, moving on to cover various aspects influencing the evolving of the story from a geographical overview to political, social and economic insights into this the newest country in the world. It also provides for a perspective into its relations with countries with a relevance to its existence. He examines the roles of the aid agencies involved in trying to secure a future for South Sudan all of which he clearly understands and with which he is deeply acquainted.
He describes accurately and in detail the armed skirmishes and battles surrounding the deep political divide that haunts South Sudan, including force levels and military competence.
Then it is on to his harrowing personal experiences in being arrested without justification and being jailed under a sentence of death in ‘The Blue House’ and subsequently ‘Juba Central Prison’s Death Row’ it includes such details as his interactions with fellow prisoners (and their mutual support). In jail, he found himself writing the most poignant poetry – a newly discovered talent, one which seemed to help with dealing with the areas of his mind that that remained unfathomable under these dreadful conditions. He owed his survival to the support of friends and family outside the jail as well as many of the inmates of the Juba Central Prison’s “Death Row”.
He describes in jaw-dropping clarity the frighteningly illegal and incompetent way in which he was tried in the capital of Sudan, Juba for offenses carrying amongst others the Death Penalty. He virtually ran his own defence against all odds. He also describes the limited and ineffectual interaction which he had with the South African Embassy in Juba. Eventually, it was his sister and his friends, largely, who prevailed and secured his release.
This book is one of a kind and reflects new directions in this rapidly evolving world of ours. It is a book not to be missed by anyone.
True to the nature of Special Forces, the South African Recces started small but had a big impact. This iconic group went on to gain international renown as one of the world’s finest, focusing on counter-insurgency, strategic reconnaissance, sabotage and direct action. SASF SPECIAL FORCES provides a comprehensive account of the origins and history of this famous group as told...
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This is the story of one of the world's most effective Special Forces units told by the men who served in it. Breaking with conventional military thinking, the South African Police created Koevoet by refining the concept of the counter-insurgency group pioneered in Rhodesia during the Bush War in order to provide up-to-date intelligence about an elusive enemy. Now at...
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Until now little has been known about the Rhodesian contribution to the history of the SAS. Now at last the men themselves tell their own stories of the exploits of that Special Forces unit during the Bush War and the years before. SAS Rhodesia provides a comprehensive account of the origins and history of this famous Special Forces unit, as told...
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With roots going back to Cecil Rhodes’ buccaneering Pioneers, Stannard, like many of his countrymen, was born and bred to fight against the odds as a soldier defending a country at war with the world. Never frightened to lead, he tackled his foe with skill, incredible courage and almost unbelievable good cheer. Serving in both the SAS and the Selous...
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AFRICA@WAR SERIES: VOLUME 50 War of Intervention in Angola - Volume 3: Angolan and Cuban Air Forces 1975-1985 - Tom Cooper, Adrian Fontanellaz, Jose Augusto Matos Most accounts of the conflict known in the West as the ‘Border War’ barely mention the operations by the FAPA/DAA. A handful of published histories mention two MiG-21s claimed as shot down by Dassault Mirage F.1...
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‘The War for Africa: Conflict, Crime, Corruption and Foreign Interests’ is a hard-hitting account of the undeclared and invisible conflicts and wars that go almost unnoticed in the daily mainstream media. The impact of these economic, military, and political conflicts on the continent and its people is devastating. This book offers a personal, yet disturbing and behind-the-scenes glimpse of much...
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AFRICA@WAR SERIES: VOLUME 51 RIPE FOR REBELLION: Political and Military Insurgency in the Congo, 1946-1964 - Stephen Rookes After many years of political struggle, the Belgian Congo was finally granted its independence in June 1960. Becoming the Republic of the Congo (and later the Democratic Republic of the Congo), what was supposed to be a momentous occasion in the country's history...
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Eighth Army Versus Rommel is a riveting account of the Desert War from 1940 through Montgomery's celebrated battle of Alamein in 1942. Comprehensively researched and rich in previously unpublished material, it examines the undertrained and underfunded pre-war British Army, contrasting its leadership with its opposite numbers in Germany, and demonstrates how and why Eighth Army had difficulties in its first 18...
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AFRICA@WAR SERIES: VOLUME 52 FOR GOD AND THE CIA: Cuban Exile Forces in the Congo and Beyond c.1961-1967 - Stephen Rookes As the United Nations armed forces found themselves struggling to quell a series of armed rebellions, towards the end of 1962 the United States increased its military role in the Congo Crisis by providing the Congolese government with a small air...
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Following the Korean War, the next armed conflict to involve South African military forces was against Soviet, Cuban and Angolan forces – the SADF’s Operation Savannah in Angola. This resulted from the communist-inspired coup d’état in Portugal and the Soviet Union’s attempt, using Cuban surrogate forces, to annex Angola and to threaten South Africa’s national security. Teenaged boys doing their...
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Alan Brough is a writer and historian who grew up in Rhodesia. During those turbulent years he heard the whispered stories of Jack Malloch, an amazing flyer who many credited with the very survival of the breakaway country. Yet on the surface Jack seemed to be nothing but a hard-working entrepreneur who owned a nondescript little cargo operation serviced by...
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By August 1974 the Portuguese had all but abandoned Angola, its erstwhile colony, and there was a fear in both the Intelligence services of South Africa and America that the country was likely to fall the hands of the MPLA, generally regarded as a Soviet surrogate. It was that fear that triggered the training by South Africa of guerrilla groups...
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This book tells the story of the author’s three contracts as a mercenary in the ‘64-‘65 Congo conflict. It is a vivid account of his personal experiences, from his first contract as a raw recruit to his last contract, when he was involved in the formation of the navy on Lake Tanganyika and was the first C.O. Hugh started writing...
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AVAILABLE FROM 3 NOVEMBER 2020 A Brutal State of Affairs analyses the transition from Rhodesia to Zimbabwe and challenges Rhodesian mythology. The story of the BSAP, where white and black officers were forced into a situation not of their own making, is critically examined. The liberation war in Rhodesia might never have happened but for the ascendency of the Rhodesian...
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This two-volume book covers the history of the Ratel from the requirement for an ICV for the SA Army in the late 1960s and early 1970s through to the development, production and deployment of Ratel and to its final major combat operation of the Border War in 1989. The book is about Ratel, not about the Border War; although, obviously,...
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The Fading Light: Memories of a Professional Soldier's Five Decades of War and Conflict in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. An Australian former Special Forces soldier describes his experiences and recollections of war and civil disturbance across continents and areas of conflict, interspersed with insights into the nature and character of his various employers, and insightful analysis of the...
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An account which strives to place the war which South Africa fought in Angola in a historically meaningful perspective. Although the conflict initially centered on the opposing agendas of the SADF and People’s Liberation Army of Namibia of SWAPO, it was to escalate and take on an international Cold War character as Angolan, Cuban, and Soviet protagonists appeared on the...
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This work is a serious, non-fictional autobiography, which inter alia is an expose of the times and personalities involved during the thirty years the author spent in covert operations with the Nationalist Party government of South Africa from 1966. The author’s targets during this period included Soviet and Cuban political and military activity in Southern Africa and those of the...
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AFRICA@WAR SERIES: VOLUME 49 SOUTH AFRICAN ARMOURED VEHICLES: A History of Innovation and Excellence During the Cold War, Africa became a prime location for proxy wars between the East and the West. Against the backdrop of a steep rise in liberation movements backed by Eastern Bloc communist countries such as Cuba and the Soviet Union, southern Africa saw one of the most...
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Al Venter's latest book on South Africa's 23-year Border War along the Angolan frontier offers a host of new perspectives. These include details about units like the South African Air Force 44 Squadron which converted Dakota aircraft into flying gun platforms similar to those used in America's war in South-East Asia. He also has American nuclear specialist David Albright -...
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Executive Outcomes was already well known to several governments and private corporations before it exploded into controversy in 1993 after entering into a contract with Angola’s FAA to train a brigade-level force to decisively end their decades-old conflict with UNITA. It was also well known to those involved in fermenting conflicts in order to topple African governments with a view...
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"YOU HAVE NOT LIVED TILL YOU HAVE ALMOST DIED, AND FOR THOSE WHO FIGHT FOR IT, LIFE HAS A FLAVOUR THE PROTECTED WILL NEVER KNOW" The South African Police Special Task Force is the Special Operation element of the South African Police. They are considered to be amongst the best of such Units in the world. They have a formidable reputation...
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