I vanished for long periods of time while writing this book, hiding away at the British Library or embarking on whirlwind research trips, or barricading myself into my cave-study among a sea of books with little regard for personal hygiene, surfacing only occasionally to rant about my latest Africa-related discoveries to weary friends and family, and for that I would like to apologize. My wife, Flavia, got the brunt of it and reacted with patience and encouragement, enduring many spontaneous and needy readings and always offering valuable suggestions. She countered all my frailties with a beaming smile and gusts of energy which pulled me through.
My editor, Neil Belton, allowed me the freedom to experiment at the beginning, and gradually took a firmer grip when I was drifting off course. His quietly encyclopaedic knowledge of African history – and indeed all history – was startling, and something I hope I have exploited to the full. He never tired of reading and re-reading the manuscript and offering clever suggestions.
I must also thank my agent, Georgina Capel, for encouraging me to write the book in the first place. She called me when I was under siege in Crimea, reporting on the Russian occupation for the BBC, and suggested I might want to write a book about Africa and the men who had stolen its resources. It couldn’t have been further from my mind, but her enthusiasm and clear-minded persistence had me hooked on the project that very night.
Congo. On the ground I was assisted by Emery Makumeno, who tirelessly sought interviewees, as well as translating, researching and introducing me to his own family members with fascinating stories to tell. I am also indebted to Glenn Kendrick, a rare breed of diamond explorer who is also a humanitarian, and who shared with me many details of his early work during Mobutu’s rule in Congo. Thanks also to Simon Taylor of IDC Holdings in London, who briefed me on his company’s early diamond-mining experiences in several post-colonial African countries.
Colonial Oil. When I began research for my chapter on colonial oil I imagined I would be extremely lucky to find any of the early explorers or industry operatives still alive; after all we are talking about the immediate post-war era, and anyone sent to Africa would have been expected to possess considerable experience in the field already. I was thrilled to find the only surviving member of the Rover Boys, the geological commando unit set up by Esso, Dr Dave Kingston. He was generous with his time and his anecdotes, and in explaining the basics of oil geology. Sadly he passed away before the book was finished. I must also extend my thanks to BP, whose Linda Fernley kindly circulated an appeal to all their pensioners who had worked in Africa. That yielded many sources, and several extraordinary anecdotes. It led me to BP’s Rex Brown, who invited me into his home and shared sandwiches and beer with me as he relived his days in his beloved Nigeria. It also introduced me to BP’s Edgar Lloyd, an old Libya and Nigeria hand who had written several beautifully poetic stories from the time, which he was kind enough to share with me, and which provided much inspiration. David Thomas, an independent oil explorer, is a generation younger than the rest, but he furnished me with books, contacts and industry literature that were invaluable.
Libya. For much inside information on the early years of the Libyan revolution, I am indebted to David Orser, formerly of Mobil and then Occidental, who had a ringside seat on some of the biggest deals of the early Gaddafi era. I am also grateful to my fixer, Mohammed Miloud, who carried out a series of interviews on my behalf with his Uncle Atti in Tripoli, a rare survivor of the Abu Salim prison massacre who went through much psychological discomfort to relive those terrible experiences.
Nigeria. Barnaby Pace at Global Witness gave me indispensible assistance on the story of Dan Etete and his corrupt attempts to seize ownership of Nigeria’s largest oil concession. The distinguished silk Mark Howard QC of Brick Court Chambers gave me an entertaining account of questioning Dan Etete at London’s High Court.
Equatorial Guinea. I am grateful to Raimundo Ela Nsang, secretary general of the Equatorial Guinea opposition group, CORED, living in exile in Paris, whose father was a minister under the Macías regime. He patiently explained his family’s experiences and his father’s narrow escape from death. I met several other survivors who wish to remain anonymous for fear of recriminations against their families in Equatorial Guinea. The courageous former US ambassador John E. Bennett, who dared openly criticize Obiang’s regime and was threatened with assassination, gave me valuable insights into the president’s character, having met him on numerous occasions. Another exile, Joaquin Makuba Mavindi, spent time finding victims of Obiang in the UK, and supplying valuable background material.
For description of the landscape and geography of a country I have never been able to visit, I relied on Oscar Scaffadi’s beautifully written guidebook published by Bradt Travel Guides.
Côte d’Ivoire. I am indebted to the US ambassador Herman J. Cohen, US assistant secretary of state for African affairs 1989–93, and now CEO of lobbying firm Cohen and Woods International, who generously gave me his precious time to talk about his personal experiences of Felix Houphouet-Boigny.
I must also thank the inspirational Dr Phil Clark at SOAS, whose briefing on Houphouet-Boigny convinced me that this story had to be included in the book. Also, Dr Jean Pierre Bat, who enthused in equal measure from Paris, and Dr Vincent Hiribarren, lecturer in modern African history at King’s College London, who pointed me to some crucial texts.
Special thanks go to Judith and Philip Chapman, who were young church missionaries during Houphouet-Boigny’s early years, and invited me into their home to share their experiences of how it was to be a European living under his regime.
Eritrea. Mesfin Hagos, Afwerki’s closest confidant for many years and his commander on the battlefield, flew to London to see me and patiently led me through his role in events that have become landmarks in Eritrea’s recent history. For personal experiences of the War of Independence I met with several former fighters from both the ELF and EPLF. Chief among them were Haile Woldan, who fought for the ELF alongside his wife, and Goitom Mebrahtu, whose colourful stories of fighting on the scorching-hot plains of Eritrea were worthy of a book in their own right. Wolde-Yesus Ammar, author and head of foreign relations for the Eritrea Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP), gave his time to brief me when I knew next to nothing, and patiently pointed me in the right direction. As a former friend and classmate of Isaias Afwerki, he was able to paint a detailed picture of the dictator’s early years. His colleague, Mengisteab Asmerom, also from the EPDP, was also eager to assist from the start. The author and principal director of Justice Africa, Dawit Mesfin, helped me make sense of some of the more arcane disagreements between the ELF and EPLF, and was good enough to do so when he was writing his own book on Eritrea.
Special thanks go to Betlehem Isaak, the courageous and determined daughter of the jailed journalist Dawit Isaak, who has been detained in solitary confinement by Isaias Afwerki since 2001. Betlehem welcomed me to Gothenburg, where she lives, and spent two days describing in detail the story of her father’s life and her campaign to have him freed.
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Finally, thank you to the two institutions where I hid away to continue my writing when I could no longer face the clutter and tumbling paperwork of my cave-study. The proprietor of Sufi restaurant in London W12 gave me a table on which to write quietly at the back of his establishment whenever I needed – and often a glass of wine too – and many days were spent tucked in a quiet corner of Proud Mary’s coffee shop off Uxbridge Road, tapping away until well beyond closing time.