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The Wonga Coup: Guns, Thugs, and a Ruthless Determination to Create Mayhem in an Oil-Rich Corner of Africa Paperback – August 28, 2007

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Product Details

  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: PublicAffairs (August 28, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1586485008
  • ISBN-13: 978-1586485009
  • Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,062,812 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsLessons from a Failed Coup
By Rob Hardy HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWER on August 5, 2006
Format: Hardcover
Equatorial Guinea isn't much of a nation, even for Africa. "In most atlases, the country lies hidden under the staple," writes Adam Roberts. But it has oil, and that makes quite the difference. In _The Wonga Coup: Guns, Thugs and a Ruthless Determination to Create Mayhem in an Oil-Rich Corner of Africa_, Roberts has told the story of an attempted coup by international businessmen and mercenaries in March 2004. The aim was not to gain political power, or to help the blighted nation's poor start claiming some of their country's riches. The aim was simply to get "a large splodge of wonga" as one of the plotters called a big infusion of cash. (Surprisingly, the _OED_ says that "wonga" is British, not African, slang.) The plot, for many reasons explained here, did not work, and plenty of the plotters and their henchmen suffered, but it has had some effects on Equatorial Guinea, and also reflects the current larger problems in the economic development of Africa. The book is well researched, and at times reads like an adventure novel, sort of a failed _The Dogs of War_.

This is no coincidence. _The Dogs of War_ was written by Fredrick Forsyth, who has recently, after formerly secret British documents were unsealed, admitted his own role in financing a similar, and similarly failed, coup against Equatorial Guinea in 1973. In some ways, it is a shame that the 1973 coup didn't succeed; it was less for riches than for removal of the deranged dictator Macias Nguema, who went on for a further six mad years. He was succeeded by his nephew, Obiang Nguema, about whom the best that can be said is that he is not as crazy as his uncle.Read more ›
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4.0 out of 5 starsFascinating story- How many lives for Obiang?
By G. Birchard on January 10, 2007
Format: Hardcover
I first heard news of Simon Mann's arrest in Zimbabwe breaking over the BBC while living in neighboring Zambia. Couldn't imagine a fate much worse than a Zim prison cell- until I read Wonga Coup and learned of the conditions of the Black Beach prison in E.G. Pity for Simon's colleague...

It's strange to feel pity for mercenaries, except that the utterly corrupt rule of Obiang and cronies can only encourage this. Siphoning off $350mm of the national wealth of E.G. into a personal bank account in the US is a crime greater than any that might be committed by would-be coup-makers. Given the stultifying poverty in E.G., this level of graft is disgusting and unforgivable. Add to this flagrant human rights abuses, and I find myself very disappointed the coup failed.

Even more so after reading "Tropical Gangsters", which gives some perspective of the lives of ordinary E.G. citizens, and those locals and foreigners who have made real efforts to improve the situation in E.G. Even if Mann's coup was financially motivated, it's hard to imagine how things could be any worse in E.G. for the average person. Perhaps a shake up (any shake up) might offer the possibility for positive changes.

Despite the very real problems that the world oil/gas enonomy has caused certain underdeveloped countries whose major resource is petroleum (and whose near-sighted and corrupt governments can't see fit to invest this wealth into the futures of their countries), in the case of E.G., rule in the country was despotic before they even discovered they had oil. Can't blame this particular demon on Western oil consumption. Seems to be cultural and even geographical, engendered by tribal disparities and the isolating and strange borders of the territory.Read more ›
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3.0 out of 5 starsIntriguing Mercenary story and evil dictator
By Maggot on June 16, 2013
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
THis was an interesting book which came across as believable, however, it seemed to stretch on inordinately at times. If you are into "Africa" or "mercenaries" this is worth the reading, but I don't see this being a big seller in mainstream reading. I have no regrets in buying and reading it, but this is a "hard core" special interest read.
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4.0 out of 5 starsTruth can be stranger than fiction!
By Roger Mitchell on August 1, 2015
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
I was halfway through this book, when some of the names and people being mentioned, and some of th events sounded very familiar. I discovered that this was not a work of fiction, but the true story of an ill-fated coup attempt to overthrow a brutal African dictator, by a band of white Soldiers of Fortune, (who had an agenda of their own). I thought the book got bogged down in a few places, but I did manage to finish it, and I am glad I did.
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5.0 out of 5 starsFinancial motives??!! You're kidding me!
By Keith A. Comess VINE VOICE on October 3, 2010
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
The late FBI Deputy Director W. Mark Felt became renowned as the anonymous and well-informed source on the Nixon Watergate affair, advising "The Washington Post" reporters Woodward and Bernstein to, "Follow the money" and all would be revealed...and, it was. Of course, its always a safe bet when confronted with an otherwise perplexing or apparently rrational business or political affair to follow that advice, since power aligns along financial meridians: it always has and, unless human nature changes radically, it always will. How else to explain the warm welcome ("You are a good friend and we welcome you") extended by then American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (Washington, D.C., April, 2006)to Obiang Nguema, longtime dictator of the African backwater of Equatorial Guinea? Answer: Follow the money!

Obiang Nguema, reviled by many independent human rights organizations as one of Africa's worst dictators (okay, maybe the worst) was a complete unknown outside Africa and most African nations didn't pay him too much mind either...until oil was discovered. Then, suddenly, the transformation: "Our friend in Africa!" It is a given that Obiang's record as head of government was hardly one worthy of emulation. Obiang himself was a torturer, possible cannibal and personal beneficiary of hundreds of millions of dollars purloined from petroleum revenues. His government has a no less enviable record: it purged political opponents, expelled/murdered minority tribesman such as the Bubis, stole from the Equatorial Guinean people who, given access to their fair share of oil revenue, would have had a per capita income of around $6000.00, but instead had and have around 0.5% of GDP expended on education (lowest in the world) and 1.8% of GDP on health care (again lowest anywhere).Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Good read

Published 3 months ago by G.S.
4.0 out of 5 starsFour Stars

Haven't finished it yet, but it's a page-turner.

Published 13 months ago by Kevin Dwyer
5.0 out of 5 starsFantastic Current History

This is a fantastic story from a reporter from the Economist magazine on an attempted coup in Equatorial Guinea (EG) in the early 2000s, which mainly hit the headlines in the US... Read more

Published 15 months ago by David Southworth
5.0 out of 5 starsAccurate and informative

Really explains a lot about the country and how it got to be in its current state.

Published 16 months ago by Daniel Payne
4.0 out of 5 starsFour Stars

Quite a story of intrigue and the failed coup of Equatorial Guinea.

Published 20 months ago by Mark Sterns
3.0 out of 5 starsInteresting book about EG

Not that well written but entertaining if you have been to Equatorial Guinea. I also recomend the book Tropical Gangster also about EG

Published on November 14, 2013 by Sally Vickland
5.0 out of 5 starsShould Be a Movie

This reminds me of those great movies with old English actors who want to help out in the war and get the gang together to go on one last caper. Read more

Published on March 14, 2013 by Pork C. Fish
3.0 out of 5 starsShort book, but still bloated

The problem with this book is that while conceptually interesting (greedy mercenaries against a blood thirsty tyrant), there isn't enough "meat" here to justify an entire book. Read more

Published on March 13, 2013 by ATCTGAGTGCCTTTG
4.0 out of 5 starsMalabo 2010

Returned from business trip to Malabo July 2010 and found the area better than represented in the book. Read more

Published on August 27, 2010 by jdg2
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat Reading!

This book reveals the whole true story behind the failed coup. It is almost unbelievable how the
plan was formulated and then totally botched from start to finish. Read more

Published on February 6, 2010 by Florida Mullet Master

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