The Baobab Accord

By William Robert Boyd

The winds of change are blowing through the sub continent, where a ruthless despot supported by his vicious military generals, and on their payroll are many hundreds of foreign mercenaries; collectively they have been, and currently are practicing mass genocide on a population of five million people, in an attempt to make them compliant and docile.
The reaction of the surrounding countries has been virtually supportive of this cruel regime, the muted response from the African Union and the world at large, has been less than satisfactory to bring about change. The self proclaimed president ou (old) Bob McCabe and his ruling party lost the previous election, but would not relinquish control or accept defeat.
Even United Nations imposed sanctions have not had the desired effect, unemployment in the country is 95%, the economy is in tatters, and the prognosis for the future is bleak, in one of the most dysfunctional countries in the world.
With the recent discovery of colossal alluvial diamond reserves, and that the renowned and well respected Kimberly Process, giving astonishing permission for these blood diamonds from this conflict zone to reach the world bourses. This massive amount of new found wealth being generated, much of it destined for the military generals. The plight of the people and the continuing atrocities are set to escalate.
Martin Shangari, the opposition leader recognising this alarming situation, and knowing that something needs to be done to free his people, has accumulated some funding. Martin also has the determination, and he now has a clear mandate from the Baobab Accord to trigger an unrelenting and ruthless international force of men who are prepared to kill and willing to die to bring about change, and instil a true democracy. Could this initiative ever hope to succeed in this modern day and age? If so, what would be the reaction of the international community?
The continent of Africa having had a long history of failures in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Congo and Equatorial Guinea of any such attempts to overthrow a government. Therefore could it be reasonably assumed that the odds are very much stacked against this type of proposed initiative?
Will these ‘Dogs of War’ be prepared to take the consequences of serving the rest of their life in a notorious African jail? Does the thought of Black Beach or Chikurubi weigh heavily on their minds? If not, what then is so special about this mission that could possibly stack the odds in their favour, while achieving Martin’s ultimate objective?

• Language: English
• Publisher: William Robert Boyd
• Release date: Aug 12, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476023502

William Robert Boyd

William R Boyd, born at the end of the second world war, and raised in a small coal mining community in central Scotland, spending the first twenty five years of his life there before moving to Southern Africa. During the next thirty years travelling and working in South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho and Rhodesia now Zimbabwe. William (Bill) developed an interest in the peoples and the politics of this part of the sub continent; during which he experienced. A colonial lifestyle. An apartheid type lifestyle. An independent black African political lifestyle. All of which sharply contrast with one another, depending on the colour of your skin. It was this lifetime's great experience which ignited the spark to write his first novel 'The Baobab Accord' An action book of fiction, with a hint of the barbaric black Africa, spiced with a genuine romance in high society of the German Jewish aristocracy. William married with two sons, one in South Africa and the other in the UK. He has been a general and technical writer during his business life, and has been retired these past seven years, living a quiet and peaceful lifestyle back in his rural Scotland.

Book preview

The Baobab Accord

William R Boyd

Smashwords Edition

The Baobab Accord

Copyright 2011 by: William R Boyd

License Notes:

William R Boyd has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act to be identified as the author of this work.

This novel is a work of fiction. Apart from references to actual historical figures and places, all other names, characters and incidents portrayed are a product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the author, or his agent’s prior consent.

Cover Art Design by: Laura Shinn

www.laurashinn.com

To view more of William R Boyd’s writing, visit:

www.williamrboyd.com

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1 – Ou Bob

Chapter 2 – The Baobab Accord

Chapter 3 – Gus MacDonald

Chapter 4 – Capital Funding

Chapter 5 – Outline Plan of Operation Zimbali

Chapter 6 – Composition of Special Forces

Chapter 7 – Reconnaissance

Chapter 8 – Arrival and Introduction of Force Commanders

Chapter 9 – Start of the Invasion Friday Evening

Chapter 10 – All the Action

Chapter 11 – The Fight for Salisbury, Saturday

Chapter 12 – Sunday Morning

Chapter 13 – Post Operations

Chapter 14 – Arising Flashpoints

Chapter 15 – Sunday Night

Chapter 16 – Monday

Chapter 17 – A Beautiful Romance in a Bloody War Zone

Chapter 18 – International Reactions

Chapter 19 – International Media Announcement

Chapter 20 – What Happened to the Insurgents?

Chapter 21 – Tracing and Tracking Down the Perpetrators

Chapter 22 – Investments, Trade and Support

Chapter 23 – State of the Nation Address

About the Author

Prologue

Zimbali, a once prosperous country in the heart of sub Saharan Africa, rich in minerals of gold, diamonds, platinum, copper, and platinum. An exporter of maize, wheat, tobacco, tropical fruits and most root crops, and a further exporter of beef, lamb and pork; is being brought to serious financial decline, economic ruin, rampant inflation, ninety five per cent unemployment, and moral decline, and for many years mass genocide practiced by a cruel and harsh despot.

This hopelessness of the people is now reaching such a crisis point, that an extremely well planned, and brilliantly proposed international coup d’état by men willing to die, and prepared to kill, to install and establish a new government of the people, for the people, by the people is now in the embryonic stages of being unleashed.

This is the story of years of terrible horrific crimes against humanity, by a very corrupt xenophobic and bloody regime. The inability and complete failure of neighbouring states, the African union, and the international community at large to bring about regime change, democracy and stability to one of the most dysfunctional countries in the world.

Elections being held two years ago to prove to the international community that a democratic process had been followed, and that long imposed and damaging international sanctions could now be lifted. Ironically is Martin Shangari’s democratic opposition party that did get the majority of the vote from the electorate. The autocratic dictator Ou (old) Bob McCabe now approaching ninety years of age, and who has been self proclaimed president these past three decades, managed to convince the world that an electoral mishap had taken place, and that in fact the election result is now no longer valid or recognised. In any case ou Bob said. ‘If you lose an election and are rejected by the people, it is time to leave politics.’ But after failing to win enough votes and to declare opposition challenger Martin the winner, ou Bob displayed more character defiance, swearing. ‘Only God can remove me from office, a king will rule to the day he dies.’ This type of attitude and culture of intransigence and many, many years of brutal oppression is now about to be challenged.

The security forces of Zimbali are central to all aspects of life in this country. The generals are the ultimate bulwark against any form of change, while the conventional military capacity and competence has declined massively in recent years. Zimbali’s security forces remain a major, and arguably the central obstacle to settlement of the country’s political instability.

These combined forces are made up from the Zimbali Defence Force (ZDF). Zimbali Republican Police (ZRP). Zimbali Prison Service (ZPS) and the central intelligence organisation (CIO). The ZDF in turn consists of Zimbali National Army (ZNA) and the Air Force of Zimbali (AFZ).

Further political clout is vested in thousands of veterans of the liberation war, and graduates of the National Youth Service (NYS). An indoctrination and basic military training programme for many thousands of young unemployed people to reinforce the propaganda and politics of this cruel regime. State terror by these groups continues every day with impunity.

The recent supply of Zimbali diamonds to the world markets has dramatically increased to a point where the country is now a major world player. Joint ventures with both Chinese and Indian companies have put an estimated stockpile in excess of three hundred million US dollars, of good quality diamonds to the world bourses. The Kimberley Process (KP) from 2003 ensures that the supply of these rough diamonds do not originate from conflict zones, and had previously put a ban on all Zimbali blood diamonds. Following allegations that high ranking Zimbali military officers have a stake in this industry, and are diverting large amounts of these colossal funds to ou Bob’s repressive military regime. Mysteriously though the (KP) has recently lifted this ban, facilitating the diamond supply. This new found wealth has become a critical trigger for Operation Zimbali.

The Zimbali military set up is widely recognised as being a very tough nut to crack, and therefore the right calibre of men, equipment and deployment of the latest very technology is necessary to bring about regime change. No internal action by itself could possibly ever hope to succeed. Only a counter military solution can bring about the changes that the opposition MP’s and the suffering electorate are so desperately wanting, and this is why Operation Zimbali is being proposed.

Chapter 1

Ou Bob

Ou Bob still gets up every morning at four o clock for his daily exercises; he professes to be a staunch Christian, and occasionally worships at the City Cathedral. Being surrounded there by a profusion of armed body guards both inside and outside the church, although his spiritual beliefs did not prevent him from having two children to Grace his secretary, while his wife was very ill and dying with cancer.

As a youngster Bob was born and raised as a Roman Catholic, and at the delicate age of ten his father abandoned the family. It was to become a tough life for the youngster and his other family siblings with no father to support them. Although as a very bright child he did have the privilege of studying at Marist Brothers and Jesuit schools, and later at the exclusive Ketama College.

Throughout his youth he was never socially popular or physically active; his peers describing him as a book worm, and very much a loner. After his college years he first qualified as a school teacher, and after a few years then left the country to study at Fort Hare University South Africa. Graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree, he then went on to gain six more degrees through distance learning, some of which from the University of London.

Returning to Zimbali he was arrested and jailed by the white colonial government, perceived as a militant black activist. While being locked up for ten years, Bob did not waste his time in confinement, he went on further with distance learning to gain two law degrees, and a Master of Science degree.

On release from prison, he was again immediately arrested and locked up for what appeared to be no apparent reason, but this stint was short lived and eventually with his final release Bob now an accredited academic, quickly left the country of his birth to form the militant wing of the Zimbali African National Union Party (ZANU). There was just no hope of discussions with the unforgiving and unrelenting white regime about the blacks having a larger slice of the cake. In fact Bob was in real danger of getting jailed again, very long term this time, for his thoughts and aspirations about free and fair elections for all.

As a result, a protracted bush war to topple the white colonial regime was fought and won by ZANU. Bob then became self proclaimed president of the fledgling Zimbali, and shortly thereafter with his autocratic style of repressive power politics so reminiscent in a number of other black African countries, and combined with crippling sanctions. Things started to go progressively downhill, lasting some thirty years. These international sanctions being imposed by United Nations in an attempt to bring Bob to heel. But he insists that the sanctions have resulted in a futile exercise, exacerbating the poverty and misery of the ordinary people over the years.

Although the country having had experienced these crippling problems, ou Bob is very much respected and admired by many millions of Africans on the continent for the pain he suffered at the hands of the white colonials, and latterly for his inert ability to put blacks in full control of the country’s affairs, no matter what price to be paid.

Typically he has resisted all change on principle. He wants to keep the traditional ways and customs. He also wants to keep his people docile and compliant. Yet, to this day he has such admiration and respect for the Queen and British Royalty; he likes English county cricket and many aspects of the British high society lifestyle. But has a ruthless disregard for British politicians, having lived through the early days from Sir Anthony Eden through the complete spectrum to present day politician David Cameron, citing the worst possible example Tony Bliar.

When the recent election result had been declared null and void, there being much hullabaloo from the electorate, trouble in the townships and villages, the police and the ruthless military summoned by ou Bob to keep control by opening fire, killing many hundreds of people demonstrating peacefully.

Human rights groups protesting and neighbouring states as usual raising their veiled concerns, very little or no positive response forthcoming from the international community. The African Union hardly batted an eyelid, essentially offering a sanctimonious nod of approval to keeping the status quo. In essence it was now looking as though ou Bob, but now in failing health, was winning again, even although the votes counting for his party were very much in the minority.

Martin, enduring many painful heartaches in his short term of office as shadow president, during which time his wife was killed in what might not have been an accident, most of his deputy shadow ministers brutalised, tortured and jailed for no apparent reason other than the fact that they were the opposition democratic party, are now becoming more and more restless.

Party organisers, electoral officials, village elders and well educated academics and other influential members of the democratic party who managed to escape the wrath of the brutal security forces are becoming more and more demanding, and assertive in seeking an honest and democratically elected governing body, this same feeling of discontent is spreading rapidly through varying levels of the impoverished electorate.

Chapter 2

The Baobab Accord

So much is the pressure building up that something clearly needed to be done, and it has now been proposed and decided, to convene a top secret meeting with a few senior officials of Martin’s opposition party, to discuss how and if to continue with their terms of shadow office, under this emerging and menacing set of circumstances. But ou Bob in all probability would have his spies planted in Martin’s party. So the meeting is being confined to the top ten trusted and loyal party members, Tendai, Sibusiso, Blessing, Simon, Alfred, Sakkie, Always, Philemon, Wilfred and Jacob.

These party officials command a great deal of respect from their party organisers and the electorate. The meeting is later convened under the shade of a huge Baobab tree deep in the remote lowveld of the African bush. The Baobab tree to Africans being a symbol of great resilience, wealth and sustainability that can store thousands of litres of water inside its swollen trunk to endure the frequent, and very hot and harsh drought conditions of the African bush. Being located many miles away from any form of civilisation, where preying eyes and ears of strangers would not be possible. So secret is the agenda that these are the only people to know what is about to be to be said. There are six heavily armed security guards positioning themselves in a circular fashion some distance away to ensure that nobody would encroach on this secret venue.

Martin then opened and proceeded to chair the meeting, for which no minutes would be scribed, by welcoming everyone and thanking them for their attendance, and by not wasting too much time in the hot forty degrees baking sun. Martin got straight to the point of how to move forward with this brutal regime, alternatively what other options are at his disposal?

Tendai taking stock and bringing to the attention of everyone of just how many innocent people who met their death these past thirty years, and even before this time when the white colonial regime was at war with the black people. Countless thousands were slaughtered, in all there could be a million plus souls lost. His proposal is to put a stop to ou Bob and remove or eliminate him and his party officials. As this is the only solution that he envisaged in an attempt to establish a true democracy, and to get the country on its feet again and back in to the international community where it belongs. Hearing this there was much agreement and ululating from the others in support of what Tendai has been saying. But Martin being an older and much wiser person brought the meeting to order, while asking for a vote.

This vote being absolutely unanimous, with Martin asking. ‘How could this be possibly achieved, while the ruling party having absolute control of the police, army, civil service and the dreaded central intelligence organisation, supplemented by cruel mercenary forces from Eastern Europe, North Korea and North African countries?’

Tendai, went further to propose that. ‘Simon, Always and Sibusiso with their international experience and connections get together in a sub-committee, as these were people educated abroad and had connections and influence. More than that they could perhaps put forward an intelligent and lasting solution that would be the answer to the country’s pressing dilemma.’

Martin after some deliberation reluctantly agreed, and said. ‘Yes, but with my caveat that only a workable solution that would command the respect of the AU, the neighbouring states and most importantly the international community would be acceptable. I will convene a second such meeting as this, which will be one month from to-day, to review the findings of our sub-committee.’

Simon the son of a doctor, educated at the local Catholic mission school in Zawayo, after graduating as head boy he gained a scholarship to the prestigious Harrow School in North West London where he distinguished himself in academics and sport. Before going on to Edinburgh University and following in his father’s footsteps, by graduating as a medical doctor. Thereafter deciding to specialise in medical research at both Boston and Harvard, eventually taking the chair as professor of immunology. He returned to Zimbali a few years later using his acquired skills to the benefit of his people. While abroad he was a well respected member of the medical fraternity,