Erik Prince of Blackwater planning operations in Somalia

[Raj Ahten]

From the NYT

WASHINGTON — Erik Prince, the founder of the international security giant Blackwater Worldwide, is secretly backing an effort by a controversial South African mercenary firm to insert itself into Somalia’s bloody civil war by protecting government leaders, training Somali militias, and battling pirates and Islamic militants there, according to Western and African officials. The disclosure comes as Mr. Prince sells off his interest in the company he built into a behemoth with billions of dollars in American government contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan, work that mired him in controversy and lawsuits amid reports of reckless behavior by his operatives, including the deaths of civilians in Iraq. His efforts to wade into the chaos of Somalia appears to be Mr. Prince’s latest endeavor to remain at the center of a campaign against Islamic radicalism in some of the world’s most war-ravaged corners. Mr. Prince moved to the United Arab Emirates late last year.

According to a report by the African Union, an organization of African states, Mr. Prince provided initial funding for a project by Saracen International to win contracts with Somalia’s embattled government. The Somali government has been cornered into a small patch of Mogadishu by the Shabab, a Somali militant group with ties to Al Qaeda.

Saracen International is a private security company based in South Africa, with corporate offshoots in Uganda and other countries. The company was formed with the remnants of Executive Outcomes, a private mercenary firm composed largely of former South African special operations troops that operated throughout Africa in the 1990s.

The company makes little public about its operations and personnel, but it appears to be run by Lafras Luitingh, a former officer in South Africa’s Civil Cooperation Bureau, an apartheid-era internal security force notorious for killings of opponents of the government.

With its barely functional government and a fierce hostility to foreign armies since the hasty American withdrawal from Mogadishu in the early 1990s, Somalia is a country where Western militaries have long feared to tread. This has created an opportunity for private security companies like Saracen to fill the security vacuum created by years of civil war.

Saracen International has yet to formally announce its plans in Somalia, and there appear to be bitter disagreements within Somalia’s fractious government about whether to hire the South African firm. Somali officials have said that Saracen’s operations — which would also include training an antipiracy army in the semiautonomous region of Puntland — are being financed by an anonymous Middle Eastern country.

Several people with knowledge of Saracen’s operations confirmed that the country is the United Arab Emirates.

Mr. Prince could not be reached for comment.

According to a Jan. 12 confidential report by the African Union, Mr. Prince “is at the top of the management chain of Saracen and provided seed money for the Saracen contract.” A Western official working in Somalia says he believes that it was Mr. Prince who first raised the idea of the Saracen contract with members of the Emirates’ ruling families, with whom he has a close relationship.

American officials have said little about Saracen since news reports about the company’s planned operations in Somalia emerged last month. Philip J. Crowley, a State Department spokesman, said in December that the American government is “concerned about the lack of transparency” of Saracen’s financing and plans.

Mr. Prince for years has tried to spot new business opportunities in the security world. In 2008, he sought to capitalize on the growing piracy endemic off the Horn of Africa to win Blackwater contracts from companies that frequent the shipping lanes there. He even reconfigured a 183-foot oceanographic research vessel into a pirate hunting ship for hire, complete with drone aircraft and .50-caliber machine guns.

In an interview in the November Men’s Journal, Mr. Prince expressed frustration with the wave of lawsuits filed against Blackwater, which developed a reputation in Iraq and Afghanistan for reckless behavior.

Mr. Prince, who said that moving to Abu Dhabi would “make it harder for the jackals to get my money,” said he intended to find business opportunities in “the energy field.”

Despite all of Blackwater’s legal troubles, Mr. Prince has never been directly accused of criminal activity.

Well it looks like Mr Prince wants to continue his private little war against Islam as a Christian Soldier, this time made more techno-thrillerish with the addition of South African mercenaries who used to work for the defunct Executive Outcomes. Anyone think the addition of mercs to the Horn of Africa will give the 'government' there more legitimacy? I certainly don't. Should be interesting to watch so long as you don't live in the region though.

[Block]

So a war on Al-Shebab would be a war on Islam? I just want to be clear about that point, because they're an extremely violent and dangerous terrorist... warband basically, that recruits child warriors and terrorizes the populace at will, and if the Somali government, what's left of it, is willing to hire mercenaries to take them on, why would it be a bad thing, and how is that a war on Islam?

[Raj Ahten]

Hardly. I'm speaking to Erik Prince's motives. In previous reports I've seen about him he is said to be motivated by his christian fundementalist faith and considered his firm's work in Iraq and elsewhere as good for the faith as well as good for the bottom line. There is no doubt that Al-Shebab is bad news. My main point is that putting mercenaries into the Horn of Africa is unlikely to lead to anything good happening, especially considering Mr. Prince's background and possible motives.

Edit: typo.

[weemadando]

Not to mention that the head of Saracen International would probably be wanted for war-crimes if it hadn't been for the (reasonably) amicable transition that South Africa had.

Really, it's like Prince and Luitingh were made for each other.

But there's no way that between both of their records Saracen will be getting some of the contracts that they want.

[Raj Ahten]

But there's no way that between both of their records Saracen will be getting some of the contracts that they want.

That seems likely, especially now that this is in the open. It will probably end up like that affair with the British company Sandline that caused a big stink several years back. In the end that company went bankrupt after not getting the contracts it wanted. The world probably won't be as fortunate with Mr. Prince as he has amassed mountains of money from Iraq.

[Talhe]

In previous reports I've seen about him he is said to be motivated by his christian fundementalist faith and considered his firm's work in Iraq and elsewhere as good for the faith as well as good for the bottom line.

Ironically enough, he's built mosques at oversea bases, at least according to Vanity Fair:

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/feat ... ter-201001

But I agree with you about the mercenaries intervening in Somalia; I can't see any such outside interference helping in the long run, and with Blackwaters reputation, it might even exasperate the situation.

[Pelranius]

Mr. Prince seems to have taken a Kaiser Wilhelm II mentality* to people of differing faiths and races, ethnicities, etc.

*I'm just calling it the Kaiser Wilhelm II mentality because he had a notorious anti-semite as his court chaplain but was close friends with Bailin, the German Jewish shipping magnate.

[Zaune]

But I agree with you about the mercenaries intervening in Somalia; I can't see any such outside interference helping in the long run, and with Blackwater's reputation, it might even exacerbate the situation.

I'm fairly certain that even Blackwater would have an uphill struggle making the situation in Somalia very much worse than it already is, particularly if the Somali government is footing the bill.

[Tanasinn]

We're talking about the same Blackwater that murders civilians, rapes locals, and inteferes with allied troops, right? Because they will make it worse by virtue of being more subhuman vermin with guns forcing themselves on already-put-upon people.

[Master of Ossus]

Ironically enough, he's built mosques at oversea bases, at least according to Vanity Fair:

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/feat ... ter-201001

But I agree with you about the mercenaries intervening in Somalia; I can't see any such outside interference helping in the long run, and with Blackwaters reputation, it might even exasperate the situation.

I doubt that very much. Even taking the article at face value, they're working with what's left of EO and working with what's left of the Somali government. EO's outfit did a spectacular job in Liberia until the UN booted them out and then destroyed the situation (hint: EO was much, much, much better than UN peacekeepers). Maybe this is exactly what Somalia needs.

Fundamentally, I can't see why mercenary groups are so despised by the United Nations. In theory, they provide a valuable service by allowing small countries that can't maintain strong military forces on their own to bring powerful forces to bear when necessary. The practice is mucked up because they're basically unregulated, so I would have thought that the UN would be better served in trying to regulate them rather than strongarming countries which had undoubtedly benefited from the use of such groups into getting rid of them.

[HarrionGreyjoy]

Regulate them *how*, though? In the relatively few cases where the UN would be inclined to let mercenaries operate (presuming we gave it a magic wand with the power to turn a mercenary band into pigs the instant they crossed the wrong border), there's probably a pretty big plurality interested in peacekeeping operations in the place *anyway*.

I'm not sure the Somalis are approaching the right organization here, though. Blackwater's unnervingly closely associated with USG. Still, beggars can't be choosers; the Somali government isn't exactly brimful with better ideas.

[Raj Ahten]

I'm fairly certain that even Blackwater would have an uphill struggle making the situation in Somalia very much worse than it already is, particularly if the Somali government is footing the bill.

The problem is Somalia wouldn't be footing the bill. They exist already as a construct of foreign powers and the article specifically talks about an anonymous nation, most likely the UAE, financing any possible operations. The mercs would be beholden to their foreign paymasters, not the population.

If this actually happens I'm guessing the former EO boys will have success at killing Islamist's but Somalia is so fucked up and the "government" so useless I doubt any long term change will be brought about. We'd be kidding ourselves if we think a few mercenaries will fix Somalia.

Edit: We all seem to assuming the mercs would go in heavy like they did in Seirra Leone and Angola, which could be a mistake. The situation very well could be all they are planning on doing is the training mission in Puntland and a guard detail on the hotel the government hangs out in. Maybe they are just tired of being blown up by suicide bombers in their own headquarters.

[weemadando]

Ironically enough, he's built mosques at oversea bases, at least according to Vanity Fair:

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/feat ... ter-201001

But I agree with you about the mercenaries intervening in Somalia; I can't see any such outside interference helping in the long run, and with Blackwaters reputation, it might even exasperate the situation.

I doubt that very much. Even taking the article at face value, they're working with what's left of EO and working with what's left of the Somali government. EO's outfit did a spectacular job in Liberia until the UN booted them out and then destroyed the situation (hint: EO was much, much, much better than UN peacekeepers). Maybe this is exactly what Somalia needs.

Fundamentally, I can't see why mercenary groups are so despised by the United Nations. In theory, they provide a valuable service by allowing small countries that can't maintain strong military forces on their own to bring powerful forces to bear when necessary. The practice is mucked up because they're basically unregulated, so I would have thought that the UN would be better served in trying to regulate them rather than strongarming countries which had undoubtedly benefited from the use of such groups into getting rid of them.

EO did an amazing job with Liberia and a fairly decent job for Sierra Leone too. The simple fact is though, that those were much more clear cut operations (gov't good, rebels bad) that the world as a whole as a whole couldn't give two shits about as long as they could still walk into Tiffany's and pick up a valentines gift for the mistress at a reasonable price.

This Somalia contract is high visibility and a morass of tribal, religious and political issues. Which Blackwater and Saracen likely have too much baggage attached for.

I think having serious UN oversight of the merc industry would be a good move. Protections for contractors as well as civilians is a step in teh right direction.

[Master of Ossus]

Regulate them *how*, though? In the relatively few cases where the UN would be inclined to let mercenaries operate (presuming we gave it a magic wand with the power to turn a mercenary band into pigs the instant they crossed the wrong border), there's probably a pretty big plurality interested in peacekeeping operations in the place *anyway*.

Hiring them as the peacekeepers, and then lay down the rules would be a blunt but very effective regulation. I challenge you to find a single UN peacekeeping operation that was half as successful as EO in Liberia. These guys are much, much better trained than most of the soldiers that the UN usually sends on peacekeeping missions. Since the UN holds the contract, they would be completely beholden to the UN's terms.

The problem is Somalia wouldn't be footing the bill. They exist already as a construct of foreign powers and the article specifically talks about an anonymous nation, most likely the UAE, financing any possible operations. The mercs would be beholden to their foreign paymasters, not the population.

Isn't that a good thing, in this case? Other countries have a lot more money than the Somali government, and moreover given the amount that they're already spending on naval forces to try and police the sea lanes (not to mention all the damage to shipping that the pirates are causing plus the spillover terrorist problems) there's plenty of money for mercenary groups that can go in and end the threat. All the Somali government would have to do is rubber stamp the thing.

If this actually happens I'm guessing the former EO boys will have success at killing Islamist's but Somalia is so fucked up and the "government" so useless I doubt any long term change will be brought about. We'd be kidding ourselves if we think a few mercenaries will fix Somalia.

I doubt it, too, but at least someone will be doing something to try and help the situation there, rather than having everyone sit back and care only when Blackbeard and his merry men kidnap a boat full of foreign nationals.

Edit: We all seem to assuming the mercs would go in heavy like they did in Seirra Leone and Angola, which could be a mistake. The situation very well could be all they are planning on doing is the training mission in Puntland and a guard detail on the hotel the government hangs out in. Maybe they are just tired of being blown up by suicide bombers in their own headquarters.

So what's wrong with that? Moreover, why can't the operation be expanded beyond these parameters once the government has some soldiers who have some training on their resumes?

[Raj Ahten]

A couple of points, mainly in response to Master Of Ossus.

1.) If Saracen/Blackwater stick to a training mission and a personal protection detail on the government I wouldn't really object to that. Frankly I think the world should accept the situation on the ground by recognizing Somilaland’s existence, for one. Building capabilities with credible locals is one way to aid in that process.

2.) As for the mercs being a good thing or bad we have to ask the question of whether it is good for the interests of outside nations or good for the people living in Somalia. If the mercenaries are able to strike against the pirates and Islamists that might give a short term boost to outsides interests but it will likely mean more instability and death for the local people. If the UAE is paying the bill I very much doubt the mercs would be looking out for the local population. I also doubt the Somalis will appreciate their neighborhood being used as a battlefield. Let’s just say I'm concerned about blowback.

3.) While I agree that the current situation where everyone is sitting on their ass is intolerable I don't think mercs being paid by foreign powers in a direct action role is the way to go. Unfortunately we are only likely to get real progress with an expensive and thorough engagement by major world powers. Another approach might be engaging with locals that have proved they are worth a damn, such as Somaliland. That is where I would see mercs having a legitimate role by helping locals build capabilities.

4.)If the mercs are doing all the fighting and the government of Somalia can't do anything without them, that will be a very weak government. All we have to do is look at what happened in Liberia to see how fragile gains made by mercenaries can be. Without a real plan besides "send in the mercs" any progress is likely to be transitory.

5.) Frankly I am leery of this proposed deployment simply because of the names attached to it. Erik Prince's operatives in particular have proved to be anything but level headed professionals in the past, something that would be necessary in Somalia.

Edit: typos

[Master of Ossus]

A couple of points, mainly in response to Master Of Ossus.

1.) If Saracen/Blackwater stick to a training mission and a personal protection detail on the government I wouldn't really object to that. Frankly I think the world should accept the situation on the ground by recognizing Somilaland’s existence, for one. Building capabilities with credible locals is one way to aid in that process.

2.) As for the mercs being a good thing or bad we have to ask the question of whether it is good for the interests of outside nations or good for the people living in Somalia. If the mercenaries are able to strike against the pirates and Islamists that might give a short term boost to outsides interests but it will likely mean more instability and death for the local people.

Why?

If the UAE is paying the bill I very much doubt the mercs would be looking out for the local population. I also doubt the Somalis will appreciate their neighborhood being used as a battlefield. Let’s just say I'm concerned about blowback.

Somalia is already a battlefield--it's just a warzone between the locals. Bringing in an outside force to provide stability may be beneficial. It's certainly hard to see how it could be dramatically worse.

3.) While I agree that the current situation where everyone is sitting on their ass is intolerable I don't think mercs being paid by foreign powers in a direct action role is the way to go. Unfortunately we are only likely to get real progress with an expensive and thorough engagement by major world powers. Another approach might be engaging with locals that have proved they are worth a damn, such as Somaliland. That is where I would see mercs having a legitimate role by helping locals build capabilities.

Isn't that what they're doing?

4.)If the mercs are doing all the fighting and the government of Somalia can't do anything without them, that will be a very weak government. All we have to do is look at what happened in Liberia to see how fragile gains made by mercenaries can be. Without a real plan besides "send in the mercs" any progress is likely to be transitory.

Why? In Liberia, the country only fell apart again when EO was forced out by the United Nations. It had nothing to do with the fragility of the gains--the gains would've been permanent if EO had been able to stay in-country. It had nothing to do with the fragility of the government--which was stable except for the RUF and would have been able to pay EO indefinitely at the (extremely reasonable) rate they were paying. It had everything to do with the fact that the UN (aka. Kofi Annan) hated the concept of military companies, even when they were operating according to the express wishes of a recognized government and with an overwhelming approval rating amongst the populace of the affected country.

5.) Frankly I am leery of this proposed deployment simply because of the names attached to it. Erik Prince's operatives in particular have proved to be anything but level headed professionals in the past, something that would be necessary in Somalia.
Edit: typos

Correction: You're "leery of this proposed development" because of one of the names attached to it. Saracen and EO (the only other relevant names in the article you cited) have never been connected to anything that wasn't universally positively reviewed (at least outside of the UN). Moreover, according to the OP you posted, Prince isn't even operationally involved: he's merely an entrepreneur. All of the operatives are from Saracen.

[Raj Ahten]

A couple of points, mainly in response to Master Of Ossus.

1.) If Saracen/Blackwater stick to a training mission and a personal protection detail on the government I wouldn't really object to that. Frankly I think the world should accept the situation on the ground by recognizing Somilaland’s existence, for one. Building capabilities with credible locals is one way to aid in that process.

2.) As for the mercs being a good thing or bad we have to ask the question of whether it is good for the interests of outside nations or good for the people living in Somalia. If the mercenaries are able to strike against the pirates and Islamists that might give a short term boost to outsides interests but it will likely mean more instability and death for the local people.

Why?

Why do I see training missions as legitimate? Everyone does it. I might as complain about the moon being in the sky as using contractors for training isn't going to change any time soon. Also if due to this training local proto states like Somaliland were able to point to how professional their forces are, maybe that would get nations to finally recognize the situation on the ground rather than continue with the fiction that Somalia is still one nation.

As far as having foreign controlled mercs running around your nation all I have to do is point out historical cases like the 30 years war to show why that is a bad idea. For a more recent example see how Blackwater and other companies operated in Iraq. They were accountable to no locals and therefore killed civilians with impunity.

If the UAE is paying the bill I very much doubt the mercs would be looking out for the local population. I also doubt the Somalis will appreciate their neighborhood being used as a battlefield. Let’s just say I'm concerned about blowback.

Somalia is already a battlefield--it's just a warzone between the locals. Bringing in an outside force to provide stability may be beneficial. It's certainly hard to see how it could be dramatically worse.

Things can always get worse. Hell, the foreign mercs could piss off the locals enough to put more support behind the Islamists as one scenario. In Somalia we can see exactly how much stability foreign interventions have brought there, there is no need for speculation. Exactly how much stability did Ethiopia's troops bring when they went in? All they seemed to do is shoot up the place and help install the worthless government that barely controls a few blocks in Mogadishu. Local players seem to be the only ones who have brought any real stability.

3.) While I agree that the current situation where everyone is sitting on their ass is intolerable I don't think mercs being paid by foreign powers in a direct action role is the way to go. Unfortunately we are only likely to get real progress with an expensive and thorough engagement by major world powers. Another approach might be engaging with locals that have proved they are worth a damn, such as Somaliland. That is where I would see mercs having a legitimate role by helping locals build capabilities.

Isn't that what they're doing?

If all they do is training and a limited executive protection detail I really can't object to that. We mainly seem to be discussing the possible of a much more robust intervention similar to what was done in Sierra Leone if not mistaken though.

4.)If the mercs are doing all the fighting and the government of Somalia can't do anything without them, that will be a very weak government. All we have to do is look at what happened in Liberia to see how fragile gains made by mercenaries can be. Without a real plan besides "send in the mercs" any progress is likely to be transitory.

Why? In Liberia, the country only fell apart again when EO was forced out by the United Nations. It had nothing to do with the fragility of the gains--the gains would've been permanent if EO had been able to stay in-country. It had nothing to do with the fragility of the government--which was stable except for the RUF and would have been able to pay EO indefinitely at the (extremely reasonable) rate they were paying. It had everything to do with the fact that the UN (aka. Kofi Annan) hated the concept of military companies, even when they were operating according to the express wishes of a recognized government and with an overwhelming approval rating amongst the populace of the affected country.

Doesn't your own example prove just how fragile the gains were? If a government is entirely dependent on mercs and they are removed for any reason, including political pressure by the UN, that government is now in a bad way. Given Erik Princes history, not to mention the staff of Saracen, any deployment to Somalia is going to be put under a microscope. Any problems at all are likely to lead to the operation being shitcanned, unless the UAE and any other financial backers of this operation gets like being in the press in a negative light.

5.) Frankly I am leery of this proposed deployment simply because of the names attached to it. Erik Prince's operatives in particular have proved to be anything but level headed professionals in the past, something that would be necessary in Somalia.
Edit: typos

Correction: You're "leery of this proposed development" because of one of the names attached to it. Saracen and EO (the only other relevant names in the article you cited) have never been connected to anything that wasn't universally positively reviewed (at least outside of the UN). Moreover, according to the OP you posted, Prince isn't even operationally involved: he's merely an entrepreneur. All of the operatives are from Saracen.

I must admit that Saracen's guys have an extremely good combat record. What they were able to accomplish in the past is astounding. If any PMC could do something, it's likely them. Somalia would be their hardest mission to date though. The Mogadishu government they would be working with is far weaker than any of the previous states they've worked for in the past. Those states at least all had some form of military, even if it was dysfunctional. The payment scheme is also a bad omen for success. Executive Outcomes operations also mainly took place in the bush, while fighting el shabab would mean urban combat. Though most of their operators would probably have a lot of security work in Iraq under their belts, so who really knows if that would be a big factor.

Finally battlefield success doesn't mean everything. Even if they are able to make military gains unless some sort of effective government is put in place it will all be for naught. The current Somali government isn't instilling much confidence given their record so far.

[Artemas]

Executive Outcomes was active in Sierra Leone, not Liberia guys.

And just as an addendum, the training program the EO had in Angola and Sierra Leone indicates that a government need not be reliant on mercenaries forever, though a medium term presence is likely required.