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Originally Posted by Vespers War
Rhodesia in the late 1970s, possibly South Africa in the 1980s under Project Coast
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South Africa had a highly developed chemical and biological warfare capability and the Apartheid regime would have used it in the blink of an eye against their own black population and their enemies in Africa if it felt threatened by them.
South Africa developed the ability to produce chemical weapons during the Second World War, when South Africa manufactured phosgene and mustard gas to assist the British war effort. By the 1960's independent South Africa produced quantities of riot control chemicals such as tear gas and CX powder as a deterrent against internal uprisings. In the 1970's South Africa became involved in Angola against Soviet backed SWAPO guerrillas and Angolan and Cuban forces. A perceived threat from Soviet battlefield chemical weapons led to the development of a South African programme known as Project Coast to develop more sophisticated chemical and biological weapons.
Project Coast was run by the South African Medical Services and was centred at a biochemical facility known as Delta G Scientific in Pretoria. This was later moved to a new facility in Johannesburg in the 1980s, and consisted of two manufacturing plants: a pre-production plant and a large laboratory complex. Delta G focused on military projects to preserve public order such as the large-scale production of riot control agents such as CS and CR gas. Delta G also produced small quantities of mind-altering narcotics to test their viability as calmatives. The South African military intended to use biochemical weapons only as a last resort, and Delta G was not involved in large scale production of chemical weapons. However it did produce small quantities of blister mustard gas, nerve agents like sarin, tabun and VX, and the military grade psycho-incapacitant BZ. Delta G also tested protective gear and developed antidotes to protect security force members and South African agents who might be exposed to chemical agents.
Project Coast also researched biological warfare at the Roodeplaat Research Laboratories in Pretoria. Roodeplaat worked with many biological agents and viruses such as anthrax, botulinum, cholera, Ebola, E. coli, hepatitis A, HIV, organophosphates, Marburg, necrotizing fasciitis, ricin, Rift Valley hemorrhagic-fever, salmonella and thallium, and produced crude toxins for use by the military and police as biological weapons.
A more sinister aspect of South African biological research was its adoption of Soviet techniques to create ordinary looking objects that could be used for assassinations with biological agents, and its research into using biological weapons as a component of racial warfare. South Africa conducted research into reducing the black birth rate through creating race-specific bacterial weapons such as vaccines and contraceptive drugs that would clandestinely make black males sterile. There were also plans to spread cholera and yellow fever among the black population by contaminating South Africa's water supply. South African agents are alleged to have used biological agents to try and assassinate opponents of Apartheid, including members of the ANC and United Democratic Front, and members of the South African Defence Force who threatened to expose it. In the 1980's it was alleged that South African Defence Force and former Rhodesian security forces personnel used biological agents to kill hundreds of SWAPO prisoners in South West Africa.
Basically Apartheid South Africa was hard core. They also had their own nuclear weapons, an advanced and highly resourceful arms programme, the best army and air force in Africa, a military trained and armed white civilian population, and counter-insurgency and special operations forces that were better than most NATO countries. They were also self sufficient in most raw materials and food, and could produce oil from coal in large quantities. They also cooperated with the Israelis in many areas, and I'd say the Israelis learned quite a few things from them!!