The children in Zanzibar Land were war orphans from around the world.[1] They were saved from various conflicts by mercenary leader Big Boss, who intended to train and put them in the battlefield.[2] The children admired Big Boss, with some seeing him as a father figure,[3] while many of them hated warfare due to their past experiences.[4][5] The children would often play around the various areas of Zanzibar Land,[6] while avoiding the soldiers on patrol.[7] The children appeared to share a mutual familiarity with Holly White, as she was known to them as “the blond lady.”[8] Similarly, they were also well-acquainted with the former STB agent Gustava Heffner, even when the latter was disguised as one of the Zanzibar Land guards.[9][10]
During the Zanzibar Land Disturbance in 1999, Solid Snake encountered many of these children,[2] sometimes gathering valuable intelligence from them.[11][12][13][14][15][7][9][10][16][17][18][19] Big Boss told some of them to report to him if they saw Snake.[8]