Eeben Barlow - Mercenary

Mercenary

In 1989, Barlow established the company Executive Outcomes (EO). Executive Outcomes initially trained SADF Special Forces in covert operations and intelligence gathering. He was also contracted to establish and train a covert group for the De Beers diamond company in Botswana Debswana with the aim of infiltrating and penetrating the illegal diamond-buying and smuggling syndicates.

In 1993, Barlow’s Executive Outcomes was contracted to provide security for Ranger Oil in the northern Angolan town of Soyo where Ranger Oil were trying to recover drilling equipment stored on the harbour. The harbour, in turn, was under UNITA rebel control. To achieve this, Barlow recruited men who had been retrenched from the SADF elite units as well as Koevoet. Due to this contract, Executive Outcomes became a target for a campaign led mainly by South Africa’s Military Intelligence Division, the Department of Foreign Affairs and the media.

Shortly thereafter, Executive Outcomes was awarded the contract to assist the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) with training, strategic and tactical advice in an effort to end the war with UNITA. Despite a sustained negative campaign against it, Executive Outcomes accomplished its contract and within a year, UNITA had virtually been destroyed on the battlefield. This led to the signing of the Lusaka Protocols.

Executive Outcomes likewise assisted the Sierra Leonean government in destroying the rebel movement RUF in that country.

Barlow and his company also assisted the Indonesian Special Forces in the hostage-release operation in Irian Jaya in 1996.

Barlow was a keynote speaker during the establishment of the British Army’s rapid reaction forces. He also delivered a paper on the role of PMCs to the US Department of Defence in Washington.

Barlow publicly made it known that he supported a bill to regulate PMCs and Executive Outcomes provided several guidelines to the South African government during the formulation of a bill to regulate such companies.

Executive Outcomes was one of the first companies to be awarded a licence by the South African government to operate as a government-approved PMC.