Supermarket guards, truck drivers and ‘very big mistakes’: the failed role of western mercenaries in the fall of Goma

Supermarket guards, truck drivers and ‘very big mistakes’: the failed role of western mercenaries in the fall of Goma

An investigation into the DRC’s use of hundreds of hired Romanian fighters reveals how a disorganised operation with untrained recruits became a deadly ‘circus’In January, after the two-year siege of the Congolese city of Goma ended with victory for the M23 rebels and Rwandan troops, an ill-assorted group of nearly 300 white mercenaries were lined up to have their humiliating defeat televised.“You must not joke with us,” barked Willy Ngoma, the …