Sandline International
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Sandline International was a private security ('military') company based in London, established in the early 1990s. It was involved in conflicts in Papua New Guinea in 1997 (having a contract with the government under Julius Chan), in 1998 in Sierra Leone (having a contract with illegally ousted President Kabbah) causing the Sandline affair and in Liberia in 2003 (in a rebel attempt to evict the then-president Charles Taylor near the end of the civil war).
Sandline was founded by former British Army Lt. Col. Tim Spicer and Simon Mann. Sandline billed itself as a "Private Military Company" (PMC) and offered military training, "operational support" (equipment and arms procurement and limited direct military activity), intelligence gathering, and public relations services to governments and corporations. While the mass media often referred to Sandline as a mercenary company, the company's founders disputed that characterization.
Tim Spicer recounted his experiences with Sandline in the book An Unorthodox Soldier.
As of April 16, 2004 Sandline International has officially ceased operations.
External links
- Official site (http://www.sandline.com/site/index.html)
- (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1998/05/98/arms_to_africa_row/207586.stm) - 1998 article on Sandline's support for Sierra Leone President Ahmed Kabbah.
- (The Independent) (http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/story.jsp?story=500019) - 2004 article on Sandline's alleged involvement in the March 2004 coup attempt against Equatorial Guinea.
- Spicer, Tim (2000), An Unorthodox Soldier, Mainstream Pub Co Ltd; 2000 paperback edition, ISBN 1840183497de:Sandline International