MERCENARIES WILL NEVER WIN OVER A NATIONAL ARMY by Chris Eruba
History has it that; private armies (mercenaries), never win over a National Army; no matter how substandard or ill equipped the National army may be. At the very best, they only escalate and elongate the war. But they never win. History has never been kind to them.
An army from an enemy country can conquer the army of its foe and occupy their land for as long as possible; but never a mercenary force.
The fortunate fate that seems to aide a National army to overcome its foes and adversaries is simply PATRIOTISM. Patriotism is what mercenaries don’t have; simply because in most cases the land they fight for is not theirs, so there is no true allegiance in the fight, except for the coin they fight for. But a National army understands that they have no other land except the one that have now been invaded by enemy forces, seeking to humiliate them and stripe them of their honor to their Nationhood and motherland. So if they don’t fight to the last man, they will forever remain dishonorably miserable, raped, looted, ravaged, ransacked and expelled from their land by a bunch of mercenaries, who are simply fortune hunters and plunderers.
Recent news coming from the Libyan civil war, have once again reinforced my conviction that of a true; no matter how a mercenary force tries, they can never win a National army.
Shortly after the death of Muammar Gaddafi, Libya became a failed state. Infighting, internal conflict of interest and irreconcilable difference erupted, which soon nosedived to a full blown civil war.
On 15th of January 2015, the various warring factions agreed to a cease fire, and it was unanimously endorsed by the United Nations Security Council. Furthermore the unity was solidified by the formation of the Government of National Accord, which became the sole legitimate authority in Libya, and recognized by the international community.
On the 2nd of March 2015, the Libyan Army split into two, with one faction supporting General Khalifa Hafter’s Libyan National Army and the other supporting the Government of National Accord. And so the war began. The war to, take over the leadership of the government of Libya, and to control the oil-rich state.
While the United Nations strongly backed the Government of Accord, no international government was willing to back General Khalifa and his Libyan National army. As a result, General Khalifa sought the assistance of the Russian government and to purchase the needed weapons to prosecute his war. But even the Russian government wasn’t willing to openly give him their support, though it was acknowledged that they endorsed and sold weapons to him unofficially.
With the lack for proper and open support from any international government, General Khalifa was left to hire mercenaries from Russia, Sudan and other countries to boost his local army, and fight the Government of National Accord in Tripoli with the expected hope that he will sack the government in Tripoli and take over the leadership of Libya.
For 5 years now, the war has been going on, with General Khalifa gaining grounds and nearing success. Giving the ill-trained and equipped army of the National Accord and looking at the well trained, equipped and experienced mercenaries in Khalifa’s army and the weapons in his arsenal, one will say; no doubt, General Khalifa will win. But recent news coming from the Libyan Civil war has proved such thought wrong.
In recent days, General Khalifa has been losing and retreating from territories initially gained in his offense. The Turkish military assisting the Libyan Army of National Accord have in these last few days been on high offense against the forces of Hafter. In a turn of events, the Russian mercenaries in General Hafter’s army have pulled out and alongside their expertise and perhaps weapons, thereby leaving the General in the lurch to prosecute his war alone. Giving my earlier stated convictions that mercenaries have no true allegiance to the land the fight except for the coin they fight for. I have always known that sooner than later it will come to this, the mercenaries will desert him and that not only will the patriotism in the army of National Accord sustain them in the fight, but will also grant them victory. Incidentally the later now seems to be happening.
In days, weeks or perhaps months ahead, we will know if General Khalifa and his mercenary force will win or lose over the Army of the Libyan Government of National Accord.
