1981 Seychelles coup d'état attempt

Part of the Cold War

1982 CIA map of East Africa with Seychelles in the center

Date	25 November 1981
Location	Seychelles International Airport, Mahé, Seychelles 04°40′27.64″S 55°31′18.67″E / 4.6743444°S 55.5218528°E / -4.6743444; 55.5218528Coordinates: 04°40′27.64″S 55°31′18.67″E / 4.6743444°S 55.5218528°E / -4.6743444; 55.5218528
Result	Seychelles victory; coup failure

Belligerents

Seychelles

South Africa

Mercenaries

Commanders and leaders

France-Albert René
Ogilvy Berlouis

Mike Hoare

Strength

Unknown human strength
2 armoured vehicles

53 agents and mercenaries
1 chartered aircraft

Casualties and losses

1 soldier killed
1 police officer wounded
1 armoured vehicle damaged

1 mercenary killed
2 mercenaries wounded
5 mercenaries arrested
1 NIS agent arrested
1 accomplice arrested
1 aircraft disabled

Approximately 70 people in the airport terminal were taken hostage by the mercenaries. They also hijacked an aircraft with 65 passengers and 13 crew aboard. The aircraft was later relinquished and the hostages were released.

South Africa

The 1981 Seychelles coup d'état attempt, sometimes referred to as the Seychelles affair or Operation Angela, was a failed South African-orchestrated mercenary takeover attempt in the country of Seychelles.

The Republic of Seychelles achieved independence on 29 June 1976. James Mancham was president and France-Albert René was prime minister, but relations between the two quickly soured. In 1977 René's leftist supporters launched an armed coup while Mancham was in London. Though René denied any responsibility, he assumed the presidency in June. Two plots were formulated the following year to depose him, but they failed. In 1979 his party won an election and he pursued a socialist agenda, upsetting the small but influential middle class population. His reign also saw the withdrawal of South Africa's landing rights as well as a deterioration of economic ties between the two countries. René frequently warned that sympathizers of the old government were conspiring to use mercenaries to stage a counter-coup. Most of his critics dismissed the alleged plots as exaggerated or even fabricated excuses to jail political opponents.

In 1978 the deposed Mancham approached the South African government through Seychelles exiles to garner support for a counter-coup. The South African government was willing to set aside a small number of special forces for a plot, but directed Mancham's representative to Mike Hoare. "Mad" Mike Hoare had served as a mercenary during the Congo Crisis and, at the time, had retired to Hilton, KwaZulu-Natal and was living as a stock broker and investment manager. He agreed to lead the coup.

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