Foreign Fighters in a South African civil war

Say Apartheid dies hard in the 1990s

How many Foreign fighters could arrive

What kind of foreign fighters other than White supremacists would attracted

How would foreign fighters especially White supremacists enter South Africa

Would a South African civil war attract more foreign fighters than say the Yugoslavia wars
 
Given that White nationalists from the west may be attracted to the war in South Africa, why not Black nationalists from the United States?
 
Say Apartheid dies hard in the 1990s

How many Foreign fighters could arrive

What kind of foreign fighters other than White supremacists would attracted

How would foreign fighters especially White supremacists enter South Africa

Would a South African civil war attract more foreign fighters than say the Yugoslavia wars
Former Rhodesian and Belgian mercenaries, Bob Denard types etc. Maybe some Vietnam Vets as advisors. Troubled individuals without a cause aswell.
 
With how widespread HIV would be in a South Africa in Civil War, i highly doubt their home country would ever accept them, goign there would be a one way trip.

So yeah, american, french, belgian, rhodesian, mercenaries, a very small number of white/black nationalists, possibly some former USSR soldiers.
 
With how widespread HIV would be in a South Africa in Civil War, i highly doubt their home country would ever accept them, goign there would be a one way trip.

So yeah, american, french, belgian, rhodesian, mercenaries, a very small number of white/black nationalists, possibly some former USSR soldiers.
All with HIV :rolleyes:
 

SpookyBoy

Banned
With how widespread HIV would be in a South Africa in Civil War, i highly doubt their home country would ever accept them, goign there would be a one way trip.

So yeah, american, french, belgian, rhodesian, mercenaries, a very small number of white/black nationalists, possibly some former USSR soldiers.
HIV infection rates in South Africa were significantly lower in the 1990s than in the 2000s and later so it'd be far from unprecedented

Also in the 90s I think NATO would take some sort of interest in goings-on
 

kernals12

Banned
C U B A N S

And Zimbabweans. And Angolans.
Can Cuba do anything during the "Special Period"?
The sight of Castro doing another foreign expedition with all the costs that entails during this time of extreme austerity might do what the CIA couldn't with dozens of exploding cigars.
 
How about a reverse version of “Guns of the South” by Harry Turtledove?
A bunch of disgruntled SE American crackers volunteer to repel the black hordes from South Africa.
Yes, it sounds silly, but un-skilled, un-educated, un-employed young men are easily duped by recruiters.
 
How about a reverse version of “Guns of the South” by Harry Turtledove?
A bunch of disgruntled SE American crackers volunteer to repel the black hordes from South Africa.
Yes, it sounds silly, but un-skilled, un-educated, un-employed young men are easily duped by recruiters.
Most American recruitment would probably come from the Mountain West area and draw from militia types who have compounds in the middle of nowhere in Idaho. Basically your Aryan Nation types and other Turner Diaries worshippers.
 

Lusitania

Donor
HIV infection rates in South Africa were significantly lower in the 1990s than in the 2000s and later so it'd be far from unprecedented

Also in the 90s I think NATO would take some sort of interest in goings-on
I believe that NATO jurisdictions and abilities are limited to Europe and as those countries bordering Mediterranean Sea. Another UN or American led group could intervene but not NATO.
 
You'll also get volunteers from the western left, and from Latin America, coming in on the liberation forces side.

(just as we saw recently with people going to Rojava to fight with the YPG/J).

Years ago, someone told me that during the Chimurenga, in what was then Rhodesia, northern Irish loyalists fought with the Smith regime (booo!), while PIRA members served with ZANLA and ZIPRA ('raay!). I've always found that one a bit too good to be true, but it would at least provide a precedent for leftist volunteering to fight apartheid (as indeed would the proud example of the international brigades in Spain).
 
I believe that NATO jurisdictions and abilities are limited to Europe and as those countries bordering Mediterranean Sea. Another UN or American led group could intervene but not NATO.
IOTL, there was a proposal floated in the early 1970s for a South Atlantic Treaty Organization, that would include Britain, the US, Salazar's Portugal, the military dictatorships in Brazil and Argentina, and the apartheid regime in South Africa (and probably the Smith regime in Rhodesia, as well). Nothing came of it in the end, but if it had come off it would probably have strengthened the apartheid regime to the point where it couldn't be taken out by either mass action or negotiations, as we saw in real life.

And that would have set the stage for something rather nasty. . .
 
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Lusitania

Donor
IOTL, there was a proposal floated in the early 1970s for a South Atlantic Treaty Organization, that would include Britain, the US, Salazar's Portugal, the military dictatorships in Brazil and Argentina, and the apartheid regime in South Africa (and probably the Smith regime in Rhodesia, as well). Nothing came of it in the end, but if it had come off it would probably have strengthened the apartheid regime to the point where it couldn't be taken out by either mass action or negotiations, as we saw in real life.

And that would have set the stage for something rather nasty. . .
Ok I am having a hard time thinking that USA was even serious in their intentions with them supplying rebel groups against the Portuguese as well as sanctioning the country. The general perception in Portugal is that the USA could not wait for the Portuguese to leave so they could have an easier time controlling the continent without the Europeans. We know how well that worked out.
 
Ok I am having a hard time thinking that USA was even serious in their intentions with them supplying rebel groups against the Portuguese as well as sanctioning the country. The general perception in Portugal is that the USA could not wait for the Portuguese to leave so they could have an easier time controlling the continent without the Europeans. We know how well that worked out.
IIRC it was floated by elements of the Monday Club, the ginger group where those on the right of the Tory party rubbed shoulders with people even further to the right. They would have been looking to "shoulder the white man's burden" in a big way, with all that that implied.
 
I believe that NATO jurisdictions and abilities are limited to Europe and as those countries bordering Mediterranean Sea. Another UN or American led group could intervene but not NATO.
Could intervene? Will intervene. Apartheid South Africa was a nuclear weapons state for 10 years, '79-'89. giving them up only when Apartheid was on the way out. An Apartheid South Africa that isn't prepared to go peacefully is one that will not give up its bombs. As such the US and allies will intervene, probably with UN mandate because nobody wants those bombs getting loose
 
What happens to South Africa's nuclear arsenal if the Apartheid government gets caught in a massive civil war? Surely the UNSC Big Five permanent members would all be concerned by that, and would have their own plans to deal with this potential catastrophe.

Anyways regarding the OP's question of foreign volunteers, obviously a racial civil war in South Africa is going to attract all sorts of nasty characters. On one hand there will be white nationalists and anti-communists, and on the other side black nationalists and communists, with all the ugly violent fanaticism this implies. The KKK, Neo-Nazis, and far-right militias in the USA are all practically drooling for an excuse to go fight in a literal race war to kill as many blacks as they can.
 

Khanzeer

Banned
^ ideology only goes so far
Training and skill much farther, realistically I would see rhodesians and ex British and Australian servicemen go there to fight possibly for money and hell maybe even a lot of ex WP soldiers now backing their former enemies
 
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