Many years ago when I'd finished University but hadn't started my graduate job yet I joined by Dad (RIP) on a business trip to Angola (he worked for a large US oil.and gas infrastructure company and managed the operations in Africa).
At that time Angola was in the midst of a civil war between the Government and the Unitas rebel group.
We were taken to a US compound in the outskirts of the capital Luanda, protected by the Angolan military where the oil expats stayed at that time.
One night there was an almighty roar, the windows shattered, you could hear explosions outside and feel the heat from them and we both got under the wooden beds whilst absolute fucking mayhem was going on around us. Bullets were now coming through the windows. It was weird as it seemed to all be in slow motion.
Anyway after a while it stopped and shouts outside the door told us to come out. We came out of the building and went outside and there were burnt out cars, some plastic sheets over dead bodies and black acrid smoke everywhere. We presumed the base had been attacked by Unitas rebels.
What had actually happened is the military who were protecting the compound got word that some Unitas rebels had been spotted a few miles away and these military guys were mobilised to go and fight them. The Luanda Police were then brought in to protect the compound.
When the military came back a few hours later they found a few of the Luanda Police guys in bed with their wives and basically a shoot out between the military and the police took place!!! FML!
I was on a plane to Portugal and then back onto the UK the next day!
At that time Angola was in the midst of a civil war between the Government and the Unitas rebel group.
We were taken to a US compound in the outskirts of the capital Luanda, protected by the Angolan military where the oil expats stayed at that time.
One night there was an almighty roar, the windows shattered, you could hear explosions outside and feel the heat from them and we both got under the wooden beds whilst absolute fucking mayhem was going on around us. Bullets were now coming through the windows. It was weird as it seemed to all be in slow motion.
Anyway after a while it stopped and shouts outside the door told us to come out. We came out of the building and went outside and there were burnt out cars, some plastic sheets over dead bodies and black acrid smoke everywhere. We presumed the base had been attacked by Unitas rebels.
What had actually happened is the military who were protecting the compound got word that some Unitas rebels had been spotted a few miles away and these military guys were mobilised to go and fight them. The Luanda Police were then brought in to protect the compound.
When the military came back a few hours later they found a few of the Luanda Police guys in bed with their wives and basically a shoot out between the military and the police took place!!! FML!
I was on a plane to Portugal and then back onto the UK the next day!