Sandline International
Encyclopedia
Sandline International was a private 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 the then Prime Minister Julius Chan
) causing the Sandline affair
, in 1998 in Sierra Leone
(having a contract with ousted President Kabbah
) and in Liberia
in 2003 (in a rebel attempt to evict the then-president Charles Taylor near the end of the civil war). Sandline ceased all operations on 16 April 2004. On the company's website, a reason for closure is given:
Sandline was managed by former British Army
Lt Col Tim Spicer
. 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 characterisation. It has been rumored that some, if not most of Sandline's personnel, are now part of Aegis Defence Services
company.
Spicer recounted his experiences with Sandline in the book An Unorthodox Soldier.
Private military company
A private military company or provides military and security services. These combatants are commonly known as mercenaries, though modern-day PMCs refer to their staff as security contractors, private military contractors or private security contractors, and refer to themselves as private military...
based in London, established in the early 1990s. It was involved in conflicts in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
in 1997 (having a contract with the government under the then Prime Minister Julius Chan
Julius Chan
Sir Julius Chan GCL GCMG KBE was Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea from 1980 to 1982 and from 1994 to 1997. He is currently Member of Parliament for New Ireland Province, having won the seat in the 2007 national election...
) causing the Sandline affair
Sandline affair
The Sandline affair was a political scandal that became one of the defining moments in the history of Papua New Guinea, and particularly that of the conflict in Bougainville. It brought down the government of Sir Julius Chan, and took Papua New Guinea to the verge of military revolt...
, in 1998 in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
(having a contract with ousted President Kabbah
Ahmad Tejan Kabbah
Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah served as President of Sierra Leone from 1996 to 1997 and again from 1998 to 2007.He worked for the United Nations Development Programme and returned to Sierra Leone in 1992...
) and in Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
in 2003 (in a rebel attempt to evict the then-president Charles Taylor near the end of the civil war). Sandline ceased all operations on 16 April 2004. On the company's website, a reason for closure is given:
Sandline was managed by former British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
Lt Col Tim Spicer
Tim Spicer
Timothy Simon Spicer, OBE is a British former army officer, current CEO of the private security company Aegis Defence Services. He is a veteran of the Falklands War and also served with the British Army in Northern Ireland...
. 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
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
company, the company's founders disputed that characterisation. It has been rumored that some, if not most of Sandline's personnel, are now part of Aegis Defence Services
Aegis Defence Services
Aegis Defence Services is a British private military company with overseas offices in Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iraq, Kenya, Nepal and the United States. It was founded in 2004 by Tim Spicer, who was previously director of the controversial company Sandline International.Aegis provides security and...
company.
Spicer recounted his experiences with Sandline in the book An Unorthodox Soldier.
Further reading
- Licensed to Kill, Hired Guns in the War on Terror by Robert Young Pelton (Crown, Sept 1, 2006)
- Tim Spicer, An Unorthodox Soldier, Mainstream Pub Co Ltd, 2000, ISBN 1-84018-349-7
- P. W. Singer, Corporate Warriors, The Rise of the Privatized Military Industry, Cornell University Press, 2003, ISBN 0-8014-8915-6
- Michael Bilton "The Private War of Tumbledown Tim", Sunday Times Magazine, 2 July, 2000.