Dyck Advisory Group
Professional services
UnclaimedDyck Advisory Group is a South African private military and security-services company known for demining, anti-poaching, aviation support, and counterinsurgency operations.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Dyck Advisory Group (DAG) is a private military and security-services company based in Velddrif, South Africa. It was founded in 2012 by Lionel Dyck, a former military colonel whose career included service in the Rhodesian Security Forces and the Zimbabwe Defence Forces. Dyck also fought with Zimbabwean intervention forces that supported the Mozambican government against RENAMO during the Mozambican Civil War. His wartime and postwar relationships in Mozambique, including connections with the governing FRELIMO movement, became part of the background to DAG’s later work in the country. The company’s stated and reported service areas include demining, anti-poaching operations, security assistance, aviation support, and military training. Its capabilities have included light aircraft and helicopters used for reconnaissance, transport, evacuation, and armed operations. DAG has operated internationally, but its most prominent public profile arose from its activities in northern Mozambique, particularly Cabo Delgado Province. From 2019, DAG became involved in the Mozambican government’s response to an Islamist insurgency in Cabo Delgado. Police chief Bernardino Rafael hired the company to help train local police and to support combat operations against insurgents. The company operated and chartered Bat Hawk light aircraft and deployed a helicopter fleet reported to include three Aérospatiale Gazelles, two Eurocopter AS350 Écureuils, and one Aérospatiale Alouette III. Its involvement reflected the Mozambican state’s reliance on external security contractors during a period when national forces were struggling to contain attacks and protect civilian populations, infrastructure, and foreign-operated projects. DAG participated alongside Mozambican military and police forces during the Battle of Palma in March and April 2021. According to Lionel Dyck, its personnel engaged insurgents, evacuated wounded police officers, and helped rescue civilians and foreign contractors trapped during the attack. The operation attracted international attention because private contractors were used in a major counterinsurgency and evacuation effort involving a strategically important town in Cabo Delgado. The company’s conduct in Mozambique also generated serious human-rights criticism. Amnesty International reported in 2021 that DAG operatives fired machine guns from helicopters, dropped hand grenades indiscriminately into crowds, and repeatedly fired on civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, and homes. Amnesty further criticized the reported prioritization of white foreign contractors over local Black civilians during the Palma evacuation. These allegations made DAG a prominent example in debates about accountability, civilian protection, and the use of private military companies in armed conflicts. Publicly available reference material provides limited information about DAG’s corporate ownership, financial performance, current leadership beyond its founder, present operating status, and formal corporate structure. The company is therefore best understood as a privately held security and military-services brand whose documented identity is closely associated with Lionel Dyck, demining and anti-poaching work, aviation-enabled operations, and its controversial counterinsurgency deployment in Mozambique.
History
Dyck Advisory Group was established in 2012 by Lionel Dyck, a former colonel associated with the Rhodesian Security Forces and the Zimbabwe Defence Forces. Dyck had earlier fought with Zimbabwean forces supporting the Mozambican government against RENAMO during the Mozambican Civil War. He subsequently remained in Mozambique and developed relationships with figures in the FRELIMO political establishment, as well as with later Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa. These military and political connections formed part of the context for DAG’s later work in Mozambique. The company developed as a private military and security-services provider rather than as a conventional consumer-facing brand. Its documented activities include demining and anti-poaching services for international customers. DAG also developed aviation capabilities, operating or chartering light aircraft and helicopters for reconnaissance, transport, armed support, and rescue-related missions. The available reference material does not provide a complete chronology of its international contracts or corporate expansion. DAG’s most significant publicly documented deployment began in 2019, when it became active in Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique. The province was facing an Islamist insurgency, and the Mozambican government sought outside assistance as attacks placed pressure on local police and military units. Police chief Bernardino Rafael hired DAG to train local police and help fight insurgents. The company’s equipment in the area reportedly included Bat Hawk light aircraft, three Aérospatiale Gazelles, two Eurocopter AS350 Écureuils, and one Aérospatiale Alouette III. DAG was involved in the Battle of Palma in March and April 2021, when insurgents attacked the town. Working with Mozambican military and police forces, DAG personnel reportedly engaged insurgents, evacuated wounded police officers, and helped extract civilians and foreign contractors. Lionel Dyck described the operation as involving both combat and rescue activities. The deployment drew attention to the role private military companies could play in supporting national forces, protecting commercial interests, and conducting emergency evacuations in conflict zones. The Mozambique operation also became the subject of significant human-rights allegations. Amnesty International reported in 2021 that DAG operatives used machine guns from helicopters and dropped hand grenades indiscriminately into crowds. The organization further alleged repeated attacks on civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, and homes. Amnesty also criticized the reported rescue priorities during the Palma operation, stating that white foreign contractors were rescued before local Black civilians. These allegations placed DAG within wider international debates about the legal status and accountability of private military contractors, the protection of civilians during counterinsurgency operations, and the oversight of foreign security companies. Public information remains limited regarding DAG’s ownership, revenue, corporate group, current executives, website, and present operational status. Its documented public identity is consequently centered on its founder, its demining and anti-poaching work, its aviation assets, and its controversial security deployment in Cabo Delgado.
- 2021
Participation in the Battle of Palma
[1]DAG supported government forces during the attack on Palma and carried out reported combat, medical evacuation, and civilian-rescue activities.
- 2021
Human-rights allegations reported by Amnesty International
[1]Amnesty International published allegations concerning DAG’s use of helicopter fire and grenades and attacks on civilian infrastructure during operations in Mozambique.
- 2019
Deployment to Cabo Delgado
[1]DAG began supporting Mozambique’s police and military response to the Islamist insurgency in Cabo Delgado and was hired to train local police.
- 2012
Dyck Advisory Group is founded
[1]Lionel Dyck founded the private military and security-services company in South Africa.
Products and positioning
A specialized private military and security-services provider combining former military expertise, police and military training, demining, anti-poaching capabilities, and light-aircraft and helicopter operations.
Security and humanitarian services
Demining services
DAG provides demining as one of its principal publicly documented service areas. The available reference material does not identify specific countries, contract values, mine-clearance technologies, or individual programs.
Wildlife security
Anti-poaching services
The company offers anti-poaching support to customers in international markets. Public reference material does not detail the specific reserves, clients, personnel numbers, or operating methods associated with these engagements.
Security advisory services · 2019
Police and military training
DAG provided training support to local police in Mozambique after being engaged during the Cabo Delgado insurgency. The available source identifies the training role but does not specify curricula, contract duration, or the number of personnel trained.
Aviation and military support · 2019
Aviation-supported security operations
DAG operated or chartered Bat Hawk light aircraft and deployed Gazelle, Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil, and Alouette III helicopters in Cabo Delgado. These aircraft supported reconnaissance, combat, transport, evacuation, and rescue activities.
Controversies
2021
Allegations of attacks on civilians in Mozambique
Amnesty International alleged that DAG operatives fired machine guns from helicopters, dropped hand grenades indiscriminately into crowds, and repeatedly fired at civilian infrastructure such as hospitals, schools, and homes during operations in Mozambique. Amnesty also criticized the reported rescue of white foreign contractors before local Black civilians during the Palma crisis.
Brand decisions
2021
Conduct rescue and combat operations during the Battle of PalmaOtherBackground
Insurgents attacked Palma in March and April 2021, trapping civilians, foreign contractors, and government personnel.
Action taken
DAG personnel supported government forces, engaged insurgents, rescued wounded police officers, and helped evacuate civilians and foreign contractors.
Aftermath
The operation increased international attention on DAG, while Amnesty International subsequently raised allegations concerning civilian harm and the prioritization of evacuees.
2019
Expand into counterinsurgency support in Cabo DelgadoStrategyBackground
An Islamist insurgency in northern Mozambique placed pressure on national police and military forces, creating demand for external security and aviation capabilities.
Action taken
DAG accepted a role training local police and supporting Mozambican government forces in combat operations.
Aftermath
The company became closely associated with Mozambique’s counterinsurgency effort and later took part in operations around Palma.
Recent events
Sources2 sources
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