Ord Mantell has long been one of the galaxy's choice junkyard, where old and useless ships could be dropped off and scrapped. The planet itself is littered with these scrapyards, and it's not uncommon to have your ship stolen and turned to scrap.
The planet has been nominally under Republic control for years, but don't let that fool you. Unlike Alderaan or Coruscant, Ord Mantell has a very minimal Republic presence, and for all sense and purposes, the planet is as much a haven for crime as Tatooine or Nal Hutta. Depsite this, the population of Ord Mantell struggles against this and fights against having such a presence on their world. Because of this corruption, much of the planet has revolted against the governor.
As it is, the Republic-backed local government is fighting to maintain hold on the planet, using the fire and manpower of the greater government to crack down on dissension. The rebels, meanwhile are fighting tooth and nail to escape oppression and the underworld encroaching on this planet, and so have chosen to accept nominal help from the Sith.
