Fusing Privatisation of Security with Peace and Security Initiatives

Highlighting the numerous obstacles to, and opportunities for, the consolidation of PMSCs into a security-provision role on the African continent.

This paper seeks to highlight the numerous obstacles to, and opportunities for, the consolidation of PMSCs into a security- provision role on the African continent. Obstacles include the lack of definition as to what PMSCs actually are. The inability to fully define the activities of PMSCs allows opportunities for evading accountability, and this is exacerbated by the fact that there is no international legal framework to address PMSCs and any possible abuses that may form part of the industry. This paper argues that there is a need to encourage more robust dialogue concerning the privatisation of security in order to achieve a comprehensive understanding of PMSCs’ activities, and enable international legislation that can address these activities.

About the author

Margaret Gichanga is a research intern at the Institute for Security Studies’ Security Sector Governance Programme (SSG) in the Tshwane (Pretoria) office. Currently her main focus is on the private security industry and its role in peacekeeping in Africa. She majored in Political Studies and International Relations, and holds a BA with Honours in International Relations from the University of the Witwatersrand. Her other broad research interests include liberty, justice and the politics of difference, gender, international political economy, develop- ment and political sociology.