The Foreign Service Journal, January 2007

A Sordid Tale The Wonga Coup: Guns, Thugs and a Ruthless Determination to Create Mayhem in an Oil-Rich Corner of Africa Adam Roberts, Public Affairs Books, 2006, $24.00, hardcover, 276 pages. R EVIEWED BY D AVID C ASAVIS Wonga, a British slang term for large sums of money, came into use in recent years. Although the word is not of African origin, Adam Roberts, a correspondent for The Economist magazine who covers central and southern Africa, uses it tellingly in this account of an ill-starred 2004 coup attempt in oil-rich Equatorial Guinea. Simon Mann, a British millionaire, had already amassed a fortune in the murky world of mercenaries, dia- monds, oil and other forms of resource extraction when he master- minded the plot to overthrow that country’s brutal dictator, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema. After recruiting veteran mercenary soldiers from South Africa, Mann arranged for a shipment of small arms to be supplied by the Zimbabwe Defense Industries. Next, he arranged for a rival polit- ical leader-in-exile, Severo Moto, to fly into Equatorial Guinea and assume control after the fighting. Finally, after getting the Spanish navy to station ships in the country’s waters, he organized a small uprising among the local population. What could have been a lightning coup was foiled by many little things: helicopter failure, uncoordinated movements, poor follow-up. But even worse, the plotters bragged, telling anyone who would listen what they were up to. They did everything but take out an ad in the newspaper, and were quickly arrested. Perhaps the weakest link in the plan was bringing Mark Thatcher, son of the former British prime min- ister, into it. Although his role was limited to funding a helicopter, his involvement spotlighted what would have otherwise been just another squalid coup attempt by ex-merce- J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 7 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 55 B O O K S * per night, single or double occupancy subject to availability Y our search is over, choose a hotel where the federal per diem rate is available year-round. * Luxurious Suites All rooms with full size kitchen & stove tops Fitness center Complimentary in-room coffee Full service restaurant Parking available Across fromMain State White House, The Mall, and Metro Foggy Bottom station (blue & orange lines) within walking distance Accommodations State Plaza Hotel 2117 E. St. NW Washington, DC 20037 Telephone: (800) 424-2859 (202) 861-8200 Parking Available Rated 1 / 2 by AAA www.stateplaza.com E-mail: reservations@stateplaza.com