Positioned as the primary opposing force, Syndikat is a local criminal organization with deep roots on Tanoa. Made up of armed thugs and ex-paramilitaries, this new faction is involved in many illicit operations throughout the region, carrying mostly ‘classic’ weaponry such as AKs, RPGs, and 9 mm pistols.
Official ArmA 3 Apex site description
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Background[]
An amalgamation of anti-government extremists, smugglers, and ex-paramilitaries, the Syndikat is a criminal organisation that operates in the Horizon Islands.[1] They have expanded throughout the Tanoa Province and other neighbouring regions, targeting Non-Government Organisation (NGO) run camps[2] and anyone else that opposes them; particularly members of the Horizon Islands' law enforcement agencies.[3][4]
Structure[]
The key leader that holds Syndikat together is Solomon Maru, also known by his alias of "Warlock". He was a former member of the failed "Red Tiger" coup which attempted to topple a North African government almost a decade prior to the South Pacific Disaster.[5][6]
Additionally, the organisation's leadership is further comprised of several members that together form Syndikat's so-called "Inner Circle":[4][6]
The "Inner Circle"
Unknown male, alias "Jackdaw". Has two subordinates assigned to his command:
Joe Jonathan, alias "Goodluck"
Patrice Mort, no alias assigned
Felix Umbeba, no alias assigned. Has three subordinates assigned under him:
Thierry Koula, alias "Gunner"
Freddie Boa, no alias assigned
Thibault Evra, no alias assigned
Winston Ba, alias "Bapa". Has been placed in charge of four subordinates:
Nicholas Rey, alias "Nikolai". Has not been assigned command over any subordinates.
Though the exact size and composition of the Syndikat is not known, the group mostly consists of scattered insurgent groups operating in small cells directly under Warlock's control. The bulk of their forces mainly consist of anti-government paramilitary types mixed in with bandits, petty criminals, as well as drugs and weapon smugglers.[1][5][6]
Reformation[]
In the three years following the crisis, several of the Syndikat's former leaders have united together with anti-government political groups and now refer to themselves as L'Ensemble.[7] Rallying under the common goal of fighting to "liberate" the Horizon Islands from "neo-colonial oppressors", the organisation regularly conducts sporadic attacks against both government forces and their foreign advisers.[8]
They still engage in arms smuggling throughout the region. However, they have also begun to focus increasingly on expanding into the grey market. Due to the recent outbreak of a super-strain of malaria that has caused a surge in demand, they sell medical contraband in the form of cheap anti-malaria medicines.[9][10]
History[]
It initially began as a sizeable insurgent force that would strike from the depths of Tanoa's western jungles, making it difficult for the government forces to hunt them down.[4][5][6]
The movement quickly grew in size over time and would eventually prove to be too much for the now-outgunned Gendarmerie to handle. In the immediate aftermath of the South Pacific Disaster[11], Syndikat would quickly gain control over much of the province's western islands.[4]
Events of Apex Protocol (2035)[]
SPOILER ALERT
NOTE: This section contains spoilers from ArmA 3 Apex's 'Apex Protocol' campaign.
Video footage of the Syndikat-Viper meeting provided by one of CTRG's HUMINT resources.
Under the guise of participating in counter insurgency operations for the joint NATO/Tanoan "Safe Horizon" exercise, CTRG move to retrieve a critical asset captured by the Syndikat.[1][12][13]
After numerous run-ins[6][14] and intelligence retrieved from raiding Syndikat hideouts, it is eventually discovered that the source behind their successes is none other than Viper Team, an elite CSAT special operations force that has been assisting Syndikat in their attempt to destabilise Tanoa.[11][15]
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I don't know what you're trying to tell me. We did everything you asked. What did you expect? That we could manage them alone?
One of Soloman Maru's subordinates, moments before his death at the hands of Viper Team
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Relations begin to sour between the two sides however, after a high ranking member is executed by Viper Team following numerous disagreements and failures from Syndikat in light of the attacks by CTRG.[16]
This eventually results in both factions fighting against one another.[17] After Solomon finally discovers where the primary CSAT black site was hidden, his forces raid the site and kill the remaining operatives. He takes the Eastwind device with him along with vital documents regarding CSAT's so-called "Apex Protocol" plans.[11][18][19]
Maru executes a Viper Team officer after discovering Eastwind's location, vowing retribution for their betrayal.
«
Fucking ghosts. Think you can disappear? This is our home. Our home! One step too far. The jungle is a dangerous place. We'll take your toy. And you will pay for it, all of it!
Maru retaliates against Viper
»
Intending to blackmail Viper Team with both, they demand a large monetary and hardware ransom in exchange for its return, arranging for a secret meeting to be held at the Blue Pearl Industrial Port on the main island.[18][20]
Unfortunately for Syndikat, the meeting is interrupted by CTRG forces who manage to locate the site of the deal and assassinate Solomon Maru once and for all, dealing a heavy blow to the organisation.[11][21]
Post-Apex Protocol[]
The exposure of the "Apex Protocol" documents revealed how CSAT members covertly supplied and assisted the Syndikat in undermining the sovereignty of the Horizon Islands government.[22][23] CTRG's constant attacks have resulted in the death of Syndikat's leader and remaining senior officers.[21] The destruction of many hidden caches has also effectively neutralised the organisation's primary source of income.[24]
As the government and its NATO allies continue to push forward with their efforts to stamp out the Syndikat[25], it remains doubtful that the organisation's remnants will survive for much longer.
Events of Old Man (2038)[]
"I betrayed my country": a letter left at the site of a bloody massacre carried out by L'Ensemble.
Though Maru's death had almost resulted in a total collapse to the group as a whole, its remaining leaders eventually banded together what was left of the Syndikat with other anti-government movements.[7][26]
Reforming themselves into "L'Ensemble", the group continued to engage primarily in arms smuggling as before but kept a low profile, and only targeting specific pro-CSAT politicians.[27] The organisation, seen as interchangeable to that of the former Syndikat by the population[26], maintained the violent methods of the criminal organisation that preceded it. Tactics ranging from physical torture to the massacre of entire settlements and the "feeding" of individuals to crocodiles are widespread.[28]
However by mid-2038, a super-strain of malaria unexpectedly strikes the country, with the Tanoa province being particularly hit hard. Hundreds are infected within a matter of days and perish soon after.[7] With a lack in supply and a sudden surge in demand for anti-malaria medication, L'Ensemble were only too happy to oblige, smuggling plentiful amounts of cheap medicine via the grey market trade.[10]
L'Ensemble wage a series of escalating attacks against the CSAT garrison.
Meanwhile, a dramatic shift in domestic politics was taking place at the highest levels of government. The retirement of former president, Benjamin Hope, would see the country gradually shift towards favouring better relations with CSAT. As the outbreak worsened, the new government would be forced to accept demands from the coalition to allow for a military buildup in the nation.[29]
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Two strategic radar buildings, protected by CSAT soldiers, have been destroyed in a series of audacious raids. L'Ensemble, widely believed to be behind the attacks, denied involvement and instead proclaimed ordinary Tanoans were taking up arms in a spontaneous fight against neo-colonial oppressors.
Radio reports on the group's latest attacks
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This act was not viewed favourably by the majority of people throughout the Horizon Islands, with mass anti-government demonstrations and riots often turning bloody.[29][30] L'Ensemble took advantage of this growing chaos to raise the movement into the spotlight once more.[26][28]
Attacks against government and CSAT forces alike have continued to rise in recent weeks[31][32][33][34], with the government accusing L'Ensemble of having carried out the attacks. The movement's representatives have rejected all accusations; insisting that the people of the Horizon Islands were merely rising up to overthrow the government's tyranny.[8]
The Syndikat rely on a variety of sources for their hardware - from arms smuggler rings in the South Pacific region to supplies covertly provided to them by CSAT members and other criminal groups.
The group's equipment ranges from outdated Soviet-era weapons such as AKM assault rifles, AKS-74U carbines, Makarov PM handguns, and RPG-7 rocket launchers, to even the latest in Russian-made small arms like the AK-12 assault rifle. With their main weapons primarily chambered in 7.62×39 mm, this provides them a considerable firepower advantage against the Gendarmerie who mostly rely on weapons chambered in handgun calibres.
Syndikat members ambush a NATO convoy with an RPG-7.
Regular guerillas and drug smugglers wear an assortment of civilian clothing and military fatigues, but the more experienced paramilitary troops (composed of former coup members) can be distinguished by their distinctive Red Tigerstripe-patterned uniforms.
Many lack military-grade body armour and wear bandoliers or chest rigs. The few that do retain access to personal protective vests, however, opt to don tactical vests smuggled from abroad or stolen from the Gendarmerie. They lack heavy weapons such as mortars and rely more on their ability to melt back into the thick jungle in order to avoid large-scale engagements against the Gendarmerie and NATO peacekeepers.
With their origins as a drug-running cartel, Syndikat have extensive supply lines that require fast vehicles capable of transporting their illegal cargo. They mostly rely small aircraft such as the Caesar BTT light planes and M900 helicopters. Ground vehicles range from the MB 4WD jeep to technicals and quadbikes as fast transport/light strike vehicles, as well as commercial Vans and Trucks for larger infantry transport or smuggling vehicles. For waterborne travel they utilise RHIB vessels, which are suitable for sailing through the narrow waterways of Tanoa.
Reformation[]
L'Ensemble fighters.
With the remnants of Syndikat reformed into L'Ensemble, most of their equipment remains largely unchanged. Due in part to their extensive arms smuggling network, the movement's fighters remain just as well-equipped as their predecessors.
As before, most fighters do not retain access to mil-spec ballistic vests, and rely exclusively on tactical chest rigs and hunting vests. On some rare occasions, fighters repurpose load bearing vests salvaged in ambushes against isolated CSAT patrols and raided government facilities.
They continue to wield a myriad of imported firearms ranging from Kozlice shotguns to Russian AKs, though the group has also begun to acquire more exotic weapons such as German-made SPAR-16 rifles, supplied to them covertly by sympathetic foreign organisations.
Gallery[]
Notes[]
↑Unknown date of establishment. However, it is known to have formed prior to the events of Apex Protocol (2035) and after Solomon Maru's failed coup d'etat in the unnamed North African country.
↑Exact date of formation is not known, though L'Ensemble's establishment cannot occur any earlier than after the events of Apex Protocol (2035).
↑ARMA 3:Apex 2016 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Apex Protocol, Warm Welcome, "Our local informant, codename 'Blue Cap', has revealed that Syndikat intend to attack the town of Regina, one of the hardest-hit locations following the tsunami some months ago. With both the local populace and various NGOs in the vicinity, the likelihood of civilian casualties is extremely high. As such, local police have asked us to assist."
↑ARMA 3:Apex 2016 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Apex Protocol, Warm Welcome, \a3\missions_f_exp\video\exp_m02_vin.ogv, 00:01, "The aftermath of the South Pacific Disaster shows little sign of improvement, and the scale of the humanitarian crisis has been exacerbated by a marked rise in criminality. AAN'sMark Cole is in the region with this special report.", AAN News
↑ 4.04.14.24.3ARMA 3:Apex 2016 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Apex Protocol, Heart of Darkness, \a3\missions_f_exp\video\exp_m04_vin.ogv, 00:01, "I've been based in Georgetown, Tanoa, for a number of days now. Although this remote province avoided the type of destruction seen elsewhere in the region, there has been an almost complete breakdown in the rule of law. Terrorised by a criminal gang known colloquially as 'Syndikat', the Horizon Islands' under-equipped Gendarmerie have long been at breaking point. Driven by a hardened 'inner circle' of paramilitary rebels, Syndikat have seized upon the chaos to expand their separatist agenda with brute force.", AAN News
↑ 5.05.15.2ARMA 3:Apex 2016 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Apex Protocol, Warm Welcome, "BROADALE:We've been tracking 'Syndikat' for a while. Face value? Bunch of thugs. Guns, drugs. Very violent. But - given the current mess - they're expanding. DUTTON: Nature abhors a vacuum. BROADALE: Right. But there's more to it. DUTTON: We ran your intel. 'Warlock', right? BROADALE: Correct. Solomon Maru. One of the few living remnants of failed 'Red Tiger' coup."
↑ 6.06.16.26.36.4ARMA 3:Apex 2016 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Apex Protocol, Warm Welcome, "DUTTON: Raider callsigns, we've received new int from our NATO liaze. Possible Anti-Air threat. Patching it through. BROADALE:Raider 1, this is Northstar Actual, local police spotted a handful of heavily-armed paramilitaries in your area. They were last seen moving along a footpath near the bridge at grid 072-095. Heading deeper into the jungle. DUTTON: Raider 1, your rotary exfil can not move to extract while the threat is still in the area. Find any and all Syndikat PACs in the area. Roger, over? RIKER: Roger, Watchtower. Raider 1, out. Grimm, fall back and link up with us. We're going back for the quads. GRIMM: No problem. RIKER: Raider 2, you're up. Deal with Syndikat so we can get the hell out of here. TRUCK: What did Northstar mean, 'paramilitaries'? Aren't Syndikat just a bunch of untrained thugs? GRIMM: They are. Mostly. But there's a hardcore element, too. Rebels. The ones who survived that failed coup a decade ago. SALVO: Like Warlock. GRIMM: Exactly. RIKER: Raider 2, take it slow. Switch on. Watch your arcs. Out."
↑ 7.07.17.2ARMA 3:Apex 2020 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Old Man, "Tanoa. 2038. Exercise Safe Horizon has ended. NATO have reneged on their commitments. A malaria epidemic spreads... And a newly elected government calls for humanitarian support - from CSAT. First they sent their doctors. Then, they sent their soldiers. The criminal organization, known as Syndikat, has become 'politique'... After a power struggle and 3 years of gang warfare, a legitimate insurgency has been born. And now, it threatens to tear the beautiful South Pacific archipelago apart. But not everybody's abandoned the old ways. Some still remember what it means to have fidelity, and honor."
↑ 8.08.1ARMA 3:Apex 2020 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Old Man, "Two strategic radarbuildings, protected by CSAT soldiers, have been destroyed in a series of audacious raids. L'Ensemble, widely believed to be behind the attacks, denied involvement and instead proclaimed ordinary Tanoans were taking up arms in a spontaneous fight against neo-colonial oppressors.", Radio Horizons
↑ARMA 3:Apex 2020 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Old Man, "Meet Contact Dr. Drábek has organized a meeting with an important figure in Tanoa's insurgency, at a warehouse in the big banana plantation near Ouméré. Go there, talk to him, and earn his trust."
↑ 10.010.1ARMA 3:Apex 2020 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Old Man, "I see you, Képi blanc. Yes, there. The laptop. You big man one time, dans La Légion. Now you want médecine. End all that Jungle Fever. That is good - L'Ensemble can help. But, we must be helped as well, eh?"
↑ARMA 3:Apex 2016 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Apex Protocol, Keystone, "DUTTON: So, as you know, CTRG's taking part in 'Exercise Safe Horizon'. Anti-piracy, security, etcetera. But - as our NATO liaison - you should be aware of a few, uh, 'operational extras'. BROADALE: Heh. Well - as your NATO liaison - I'm all ears, commander."
↑ARMA 3:Apex 2016 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Apex Protocol, End Game, "Maybe. Our presence isn't exactly the best kept secret, either."
↑ARMA 3:Apex 2016 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Apex Protocol, Firestarter, "Blue Cap has informed us of a major Syndikat facility masked as a lumberyard in central Tanoa. Recent satellite imagery suggests a large shipment of weapons and supplies has just come in, bound for the far reaches of Syndikat-controlled territory. The loss of these supplies would deal a major blow to Syndikat's operations and may just flush Warlock out into the open."
↑ARMA 3:Apex 2016 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Apex Protocol, Apex Protocol (mission), "DUTTON: We've been analysing the int recovered. It points to what we suspected. Using embedded operatives, CSAT destabilise small, strategically valuable nation states. This strategy - the so-called 'Apex Protocol' - it's a pretext for CSAT diplomats, special advisors - even peacekeeping forces - to deploy. BROADALE: Resolving their very own chaos... DUTTON: Correct. Grooming a network of pro-CSAT governments."
↑ARMA 3:Apex 2016 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Apex Protocol, Heart of Darkness, "SYNDIKAT LEADER: I don't know what you're trying to tell me. We did everything you asked. What did you expect? That we could manage them alone? It was your men who failed! Fuck! VIPER OFFICER: We gave you instructions. You failed to follow them. You do not want to die today. Lower your weapon. Good. Stand down, Lieutenant."
↑ARMA 3:Apex 2016 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Apex Protocol, Apex Protocol (mission), "MILLER: Riker, looks like Syndikat caught up with Viper. It's a mess. RIKER: Syndikat double-cross? MILLER: Syndikat double-cross. RIKER: This just got interesting. MILLER: Indeed. Keystone out."
↑ 18.018.1ARMA 3:Apex 2016 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Apex Protocol, Apex Protocol (mission), "DUTTON: Hours ago, we secured a CSAT black site on Sosovu Island. Thanks in part to a surprise Syndikat attack, we retrieved a significant tranche of intel. BROADALE: Stroke of luck. Do we know what happened yet? DUTTON: We'll get to the bad news in just a second."
↑ARMA 3:Apex 2016 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Apex Protocol, Apex Protocol (mission), "Putain de fantômes. Vous pensez que vous pouvez disparaître? C'est notre patrie. Nos terres! Un pas de trop. La jungle est un endroit dangereux. Nous allons prendre votre jouet. Et vous allez payer pour ça. Pour tout ça. [Fucking ghosts. Think you can disappear? This is our home. Our home! One step too far. The jungle is a dangerous place. We'll take your toy. And you will pay for it, all of it!]"
↑ARMA 3:Apex 2016 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Apex Protocol, End Game, "An hour ago we intercepted comms between Syndikat and Viper. [...] More like desperate. Viper are willing to strike a deal. Weapons and cash. The hand-over will happen at the Blue Pearl. We're moving now."
↑ARMA 3:Apex 2016 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Apex Protocol, \a3\missions_f_exp_video\exp_m07_vout.ogv, 00:01, "Barely two months on from the Pacific Disaster, new revelations have shocked the international community. Documents seen by AAN investigative journalists - the so-called 'Apex Protocol Papers' - have exposed a global network of illegal CSAT operations. [...] Evidence of a deliberate, sustained, high-level effort to incite death and chaos, has brought into question the continued viability of the Canton Protocol Strategic Alliance itself. Leaders from across the world have united in a call for action, seeking to bring those responsible to justice swiftly.", AAN News
↑ARMA 3:Apex 2016 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Apex Protocol, \a3\missions_f_exp_video\exp_m07_vout.ogv, 00:46, "这些证据与现实不符。即使真是如此，我们也不能因少数几个有着错误行为的人而影响到全体组织的国际形象。 [The evidence has little basis in reality. Even so, the actions of a few individuals must not reflect upon the progress made by the whole.]", AAN News
↑ARMA 3:Apex 2016 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Apex Protocol, Firestarter, "You successfully destroyed all of Syndikat's supply stockpiles. This will definitely bring Warlock out of hiding."
↑ARMA 3:Apex 2016 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Apex Protocol, End Game, "As a direct result of the extensive efforts of CTRG, CSAT's Apex Protocol was exposed to the world. With the fragile alliance now on the brink of collapse, the world is slowly returning to the status quo."
↑ 26.026.126.2ARMA 3:Apex 2020 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Old Man, "La petite merde... He's gone too far, let me tell you. The idiocy here... The idiocy here... that's the real malaria, mec, y'know? So many minds, like, er, bad water. CSAT, Syndikat; all mosquitoes. Infecting us, sucking up our blood."
↑ARMA 3:Apex 2020 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Old Man, "A suspect in the death of Nouveaux Horizons leader, Jean-Guy Devereux, has disappeared from police custody after a bloody gunfight near Vagalala. Oringo Madaki, a 39 year-old mechanic, is believed to have escaped detention after anti-government insurgents staged a rescue. Several gendarmes were killed in the engagement."
↑ 28.028.1ARMA 3:Apex 2020 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Old Man, "You remember the parti d'opposition, Nouveaux Horizons? Their top guy got fed to the crocos at Croconeel's last night. Gendarmes are still picking out the pieces... Must be L'Ensemble - I mean, that's how they do politique, pas vrai?"
↑ 29.029.1ARMA 3:Apex 2020 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Old Man, "Former president of the Horizon Islands, Benjamin Hope, has condemned government decisions regarding CSAT's militarization of Tanoa. Speaking at a fundraising event for Nouveaux Horizons, he condemned both foreign intervention and militant groups affiliated with L'Ensemble for exploiting the nation's current malaria crisis. La Roche agreed to Canton Protocol demands for combined counter insurgency operations with local gendarmes last week, sparking violent protests in Georgetown, Tanouka, and Ouméré.", Radio Horizons
↑ARMA 3:Apex 2020 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Old Man, "C'est fou... How can our government support CSAT after what they did? They were trying to destabilize the country - remember? Selling guns to dangerous criminals. And now we invite them back! No wonder things are spiralling out of control..."
↑ARMA 3:Apex 2020 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Old Man, "Hello, Tanoa! This is Radio Horizons, and I'm Leila Allaire. Before we share the news, we have some of our own we'd like to report. Yesterday, our broadcasting station was attacked by non-state actors. So, on behalf of everyone here, we want to apologize for a long and unexpected day of dead air. Fortunately, no-one here was hurt and we're ready to make it up to you.", Radio Horizons
↑ARMA 3:Apex 2020 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Old Man, "A military convoy was stopped on the Regina-Lifou coast road yesterday by an improvised explosive device. A CSAT officer told reporters no-one was killed and said anti-government insurgents were clearly responsible for the attack.", Radio Horizons
↑ARMA 3:Apex 2020 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Old Man, "CSAT soldiers stationed at a fuel depot, east of Laikoro, were reportedly attacked some hours ago by anti-government insurgents. Details are unclear, but two large silos have been destroyed and a high number of military personnel killed. Many more are believed injured. More on that story when we know more.", Radio Horizons
↑ARMA 3:Apex 2020 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Old Man, "You hear the latest? L'Ensemble took down a radio station. And in broad daylight too. They just blew up the tower. That's pretty audacieux, eh?"
