The Mercenary War was the name given to Zanzibar Land's war of independence, which began sometime in the early 1990s, during the fall of the Soviet Union.
History
After the secession of the Baltic states from the USSR, opposition to the old regime began to mount, in the autonomous zone of Zanzibar Province. This period of crisis inspired nationalism in the area's leaders, and despite the intervention of major powers from both the Eastern and Western blocs (or, according to some sources, the CIS), the small tribal nation eventually won its sovereignty. Independence was declared in 1997, with primary credit for the success generally given to the mercenaries from around the world that participated in the war. Because of this it is referred to as "The Mercenary War," and brought back to global attention the profession of the "gun for hire."
George Kasler fought in the Mercenary War, where he eventually suffered a leg wound that ended his military career.
Known participants
Zanzibar Land Disturbance
Zanzibar Land later decided to expand beyond its borders and went on to invade neighboring countries at will. Using the newly developed Metal Gear D, Zanzibar Land stole some nuclear warheads from disposal sites all over the world, eventually becoming one of the few remaining nuclear powers.[1] The Zanzibar Land Disturbance ended in 1999, when the Western powers called upon FOXHOUND to thwart Zanzibar Land's ambitions for military superiority. Former operative Solid Snake was sent to infiltrate the nation, who killed off its highest ranking mercenaries and head of state, eventually succeeding in destroying the threat of Metal Gear D. Despite George Kasler's previous affiliation with Zanzibar Land during the Mercenary War, he chose to serve as FOXHOUND's military advisor during the incident.
Behind the scenes
Although the original MSX2 manual for Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake and Metal Gear Solid's Previous Operations files both state that the Mercenary War began in the early 1990s, it is not entirely clear at what point the war ended. Zanzibar Land's independence was declared in 1997, and the war was described as successful in both sources. However, whether the Mercenary War continued on into the Zanzibar Land Disturbance, or whether the two should be considered separate conflicts, is unknown. The matter is also complicated by the fact that mercenaries also heavily participated in the Zanzibar Land Disturbance.
The CIS's involvement in the Mercenary War was described in Metal Gear Solid's Previous Operations files, which was likely an attempt to reconcile the conflicting history of both the Metal Gear universe and the real world, as the Soviet Union collapsed much earlier in the latter.
Notes and references
- ^ Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, Konami Corporation (1990)
The instruction manual as well as the intro to the game itself claimed that they stole the last remaining, accounted nuclear weapons from the disposal sites, and that they became the sole nuclear power in the world as a result. However, it ended up retconned in Metal Gear Solid where it was revealed that nuclear proliferation was still occurring in the world, with a major part of the story being the START III treaty.