The 'Bokkie' Crew (Sierra Leone)

Country: Sierra Leone
Details of Formation: The ‘Bokkie’ Crew is a group of mercenaries who flew a MI-17 helicopter and assisted ECOMOG and the Kabbah government in defending Freetown in 1999.
Details of Termination: The last report on the crew is in 2003. There is no evidence when or why they were disbanded.
Purpose: The ‘Bokkie’ Crew resupplied soldiers and gave the Sierra Leonean army support from the air by flying an MI-17. They succeeded in turning RUF rebels away from Freetown.
Organisation: As the group are hired mercenaries, they are bound by a contract.
Weapons and Training: As the group consisted of hired mercenaries, they did not receive weapons and training from the government. They provided support by flying an MI-17 helicopter.
Size: Reports suggest that a group of three were deployed to operate the MI-17 helicopter.
Reason for Membership: The group was hired and payed to provide their services.
Treatment of Civilians: Between seven and nine people were killed when the ‘Bokkie’ Crew fired into the centre of a town. Evidently, the group did not intentionally target civilians but nevertheless accepted harming them while carrying out their task of fighting rebels.
Other Information: --
References: Information was taken from news sources listed in the PGMD