Equatorial Guinea: Hired Guns, Deep Pockets and a Failed Coup

Fifteen suspected mercenaries were arrested in Equatorial Guinea sometime last week; 64 others were arrested in Zimbabwe on March 7. The two groups were likely acting in concert and affiliated with the high-profile mercenary group Executive Outcomes, allegedly contracted to foment a coup in oil-rich Equatorial Guinea. There are a number of potential actors behind this, both domestic and international, but regardless of who was financing the operation, they apparently have enough resources to buy the best-of-the-best hired guns and seem determined to overthrow the shaky government of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema.