Sandline International - Definition and Overview

Sandline International is a private security ('military') company based in London, established in the early 1990s. It has been involved in conflicts in Papua New Guinea in 1997 (having a contract with the government under Julius Chan, causing the Sandline affair) and in Liberia in 2003 (in a rebel attempt to evict the then-president Charles Taylor near the end of the civil war).

Sandline was founded by former British Army Lt. Col. Tim Spicer and Simon Mann. Sandline bills itself as a "Private Military Company" (PMC) and offers military training, "operational support" (direct military activity), intelligence gathering, and public relations services to governments and corporations. While the mass media often refers to Sandline as a mercenary company, the company's founders dispute that characterization.

As of April 16, 2004 Sandline International has officially ceased operations.

External links

• Official site (http://www.sandline.com/site/index.html)
• (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1998/05/98/arms_to_africa_row/207586.stm) - 1998 article on Sandline's support for Sierra Leone President Ahmed Kabbah.
• (The Independent) (http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/story.jsp?story=500019) - 2004 article on Sandline's alleged involvement in the March 2004 coup attempt against Equatorial Guinea.