In March 2004 Nick Du Toit confessed to 'the Wonga Coup' - an attempt to overthrow the government of Equatorial Guinea. This is the story of how the coup was set up and why it failed. On 7 March 2004, Zimbabwean police impounded a plane which flew in from South Africa with 64 alleged mercenaries on board. The group, led by Nick Du Toit and former SAS member Simon Mann, were planning a coup in Equatorial Guinea. Within a few days of the failed takeover, Du Toit appeared on TV and admitted everything, almost certainly after torture. Investigators soon found that the plot was funded not by oil tycoons but by celebrity investors. Several names were put forward, including Sir Mark Thatcher and a "J. H. Archer". In November 2004 Britain's foreign secretary, Jack Straw, admitted that his government knew about the plot three months before it took place. The target of the coup was Obiang Nguema, the president of Equatorial Guinea and one of the last relics of old-fashioned tyranny in Africa. But the plotters were not campaigning for democracy. Equatorial Guinea is Africa's third largest producer of oil, and the coup plotters wanted a share of these oil billions. The story echoes Frederick Forsyth's The Dogs of War, uncannily... Adam Roberts tells the amazing tale of the coup, recounting the drama in detail - how it was set up and then called off at the last moment, and how the plotters were tortured. He also explains the wider significance of the events and their aftermath, providing a rich understanding of a continent that is still all too poorly known and the great scramble for control of the continent's bountiful resources. A video of a recent author event can be found on YouTube.
The Wonga Coup
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'Takes readers into a world where slippery chancers and thuggish ex-special forces type...rub shoulders with spooks and dodgy financiers.' -- Daily Mail
‘...shows, with merciless precision, how the dogs of war panicked...and screwed up where they should have been clinically efficient.’ -- Observer
‘riveting and superbly researched…a brilliant, mordant, blackly comic read.’ -- Sunday Times
‘...shows, with merciless precision, how the dogs of war panicked...and screwed up where they should have been clinically efficient.’ -- Observer
‘riveting and superbly researched…a brilliant, mordant, blackly comic read.’ -- Sunday Times
Book Description
In July 2008 Eton-educated British mercenary Simon Mann was sentenced to 34 years in prison for attempting to overthrow the government of Equatorial Guinea. This revised edition of Adam Roberts' gripping account of the coup contains sensational new material (including reporting from Zimbabwe) on all of the latest developments.
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By Teebs
Format:Paperback
A very well written account of an astonishing story: this is what happens when bored ex-soldiers drink too much and start believing their own fantasies. The sheer amaturishness and bungling of these characters is breath-taking. Roberts writes well and the book is also well organised - neither too long nor too short. The one caveat is that there are no pictures and, despite the best descriptive efforts by Roberts, I cannot understand why pictures of the real people and real places he talks about are not included. I hope this is not an example of the publishers being too cheap.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a relatively good account of the "toffs 'n' mercenaries" in Africa story of a few years ago. It's also a pretty much a straight telling of the characters, history, lead up and aftermath of the events with a tiny splodge of socio-economic facts and figures and a brief insight into the general corruption that exists in Africa (more often than not as a direct result of Big Business).
Although some of the writing occasionally feels strangled in its attempts to connect the various disparate elements and in trying to create an "exciting" feel with regards to the details of the coup (Roberts is certainly no thriller writer....he works for The Economist)...this is a fascinating insight into a world in which you would have thought no longer existed.
Although some of the writing occasionally feels strangled in its attempts to connect the various disparate elements and in trying to create an "exciting" feel with regards to the details of the coup (Roberts is certainly no thriller writer....he works for The Economist)...this is a fascinating insight into a world in which you would have thought no longer existed.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Adam Roberts has commited a thrilling account of the exploits of soldiers of misfortune in Africa. The book includes some amazing revalations about people who you'd might not think of as coup-plotters. I found the book to be a a real page turner, just the kind of book you'd wanna pick up at the airport to pass a four hour flight or so.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable even if, like the coup, it fizzles out
Enjoyable book that sheds light on some shady characters. However I did feel the book fizzled out a bit - the narrative gets a bit ragged and the author doesn't really draw any... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Mr. R. M. Tyson
4.0 out of 5 stars
overview
A very good and interesting start. I found I had worked for some of the assocaite companies without knowing who the people in background were! Read more
Published 23 months ago by limni
2.0 out of 5 stars
Mark Thatcher's buddy
I was disappointed with this book. The story of Simon Mann is very interesting, but I have learnt just as much from newspapers as from this
Published on 31 Aug 2010 by dc
3.0 out of 5 stars
Am I the only one with a sneaking regard for the plotters??
First off, this is a pacey little yarn; runs through all the events and makes a nice history of it and a decent account of the individuals involved. Read more
Published on 19 Nov 2009 by Richard A. Gibbs
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Wonga Coup
This book throws light on the mysteries of the plot to sieze billion worth of oil assets in a remote country in Africa. Read more
Published on 30 Oct 2009 by A. Dani
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mad Dogs and Englishmen
It seems like something from another generation: a small group of mercenaries plot to overthrow an African state, install a puppet regime and then milk the country's oil reserves. Read more
Published on 25 July 2006 by S. A. Robinson
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