Lack of foresight. Got convinced that we would be protected by the Nigerian army. we were north of Yola and Boka Haram hadn't even been existence for 6 months in 2002. Got paid $5K for 15 days. Knew things weren't going to go well when our transport didn't arrive like it should. We had to "rebarter" our transportation. The guns were "purchased" in country by my partner Mike from a UN connected "friend" he had in country. There were strict UN guidelines on weapons in the region because of the UN Convention against Recruiting, Use, or Financing of Mercenaries (Resolution 44/34). I found that when we ran into the Insurgents (at 2 different rural checkpoints) I could get them to "bicker" among themselves by throwing out little bottles of liquor, cigarettes, and candy bars. We would then just drive off. They were armed with mostly pistols (probably to blend in with the locals) but there were at least 1/2 a dozen of them. At the second "roadblock," they had a chain stretched across the road. When I got out and threw the candy bars, they became distracted. I dropped the chain and the "leader?" took offense. I handed him a Zippo lighter and my $30 Casio watch. That calmed him enough for me to get back in the Toyota van we were in. I handed him a small bottle of Vodka and we drove away with him still yelling at us. Scariest moment of my life. We got back to the airport a Abuja and I gave our guns and my Merrell hiking boots to Kalta (Cultia?) our guide. Poor guy was walking around with home made sandals. They weren't comfortable either. I burned them and bought a pair of the best boots I ever owned (Salewa) in Spain. I went back to the Sheriff's Department (I was on vacation there) and never worked for Dave again.
This does bring up an interesting point from those GMs running "Spy" or "Merc" campaigns. A large number (33) of countries have signed UN Resolution 44/34 (Great Britain, Russia, and the US being notable exceptions). This means that shipping in arms to a country, or getting your hands on indigenous arms inside the country, could be VERY problematic. If you get caught with said weapons; You could be charged with "war crimes" by the UN. Just something to consider for restricting weapons or equipment in your campaign.
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