Lionel Dyck is the chief of the mercenaries that the Mozambican government has hired to deal with the armed conflict in Cabo Delgado. The Zimbabwean is an old acquaintance of Mozambique, since 35 years ago he led a parachutist group that took over the then Renamo headquarters, Casa Banana, in Gorongosa. Now it was the government of Filipe Nyusi to hire his company Dyck Advisory Group (DAG) to fight terrorists. The Duke, as he is known, however, says he is concerned about the situation.
“The Mozambican Defense Forces are not prepared and have few resources and we have to move quickly. Some of the atrocities committed are unlike anything I have seen before and I have seen many wars in many different places. The massacre that followed the attack on the Quissanga Police Post involved the mutilation of bodies, the cutting of limbs and we believe that the attackers ate some parts of the body. Despite this barbarism, this enemy is organized, motivated and well equipped. If we don’t reach that point, it will spread quickly to the south and it will be a catastrophe for the whole region ”, considered the businessman in an interview with Africa Unauthorized.
Lionel Dyck returned to Mozambique about seven years ago. At the time, his company was hired to deal with poaching in southern Mozambique. His mission was very successful and in September last year, with the authorization of Filipe Nyusi, he was contacted by the Mozambican police chief to deal with the growing insurrection in Cabo Delgado and in this interview he revealed what he found.
“We found it to be an unpleasant mix of old and well-organized criminal networks wrapped in ivory, rubies and emeralds. However, the big billion dollar business is heroin being transported through the area and distributed to the north and south. This has now taken on an Islamic face and is a highly effective combination with strong external support, ”said the mercenary.
Air strikes
At the moment, your company’s strategy involves air missions. However, Lionel Dyck hopes to soon have the ability to advance on the ground.
“At the moment, our ability to attack is almost entirely in the air. We attack enemy fields through the air and we are using aircraft to block their supplies, which are transported by land and sea. I believe that we were successful in delaying its advance, but this war is far from being won. We have to start a selection and training program immediately, so that we can take good men to the field and take the fight back to the enemy both in the air and on the ground. We also intend to bring our base of operations closer to Mocimboa da Praia, which was recently attacked by the rebels, ”he said, denying any help from foreign governments, as was the case with the British.
“I just don’t trust them; they never tell the whole story and there is always another agenda at stake with them. I feel that we should go it alone in this phase with what little we have and change that. It will be difficult, but we have to win this. ”.
