Simon Mann's part in the modern scramble for Africa

Simon Mann's equatorial adventure was only a tiny part of the race now on for the continent's mineral wealth, says Adam Roberts.

Simon Mann, British mercenary and celebrity coup plotter, is back in Britain for the first time in five years. Now attention turns to his ex-friends and colleagues, inevitably including Sir Mark Thatcher. Mann and the rest will face questions from the Metropolitan Police under "Operation Antara", which is supposed to discover if the coup-plotters broke British anti-terror laws during meetings in Chelsea and elsewhere in London in 2003 and 2004.

British police have already interviewed Mann at length, in jail in Equatorial Guinea, and Mann says that he will co-operate further in Britain. He can provide evidence, including testimony and documents, to be used to prosecute others. Many other witnesses and documents, notably from South Africa, could easily corroborate much of what Mann says.

The list of people who might now be waiting nervously for a knock on the door might now include Ely Calil – nicknamed "The Cardinal" – whom Mann accused of being the mastermind of the "Wonga Coup" plot. Sir Mark, nicknamed "Scratcher" in various documents used by the plotters, may also fret. Mann has alleged that Thatcher was "intimately" part of the management of the plot. Thatcher denies that, but has already admitted to a court in South Africa that he broke local anti-mercenary laws by handing $250,000 to Mann, even though he suspected that the money would be used for mercenary ends. The focus on the colourful characters will continue.

But little attention is being paid to the political and economic backdrop to the mercenary saga. Mann and others have at times tried to justify their escapade in Equatorial Guinea by saying that they hoped to bring democracy to a country known for repression and government brutality. Such claims should be ignored: the plot was a matter of business, best understood as a part of a broad scramble by outsiders for Africa's bountiful natural resources.

Consider the timing of Mann's release this week, which came a few hours before the first state visit by South Africa's new president, Jacob Zuma. Zuma was keen to secure the release of Nick du Toit, a South African hired gun, who was the front man for the plot in Equatorial Guinea. Three other jailed South African plotters were also released after five years in a wretched jail....

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