Eimination of mercenarism in Africa: a need for a new continental approach

The aim of this monograph is to inform the revision process of the 1977 OAU/AU Convention on the Elimination of Mercenarism in Africa.

The aim of this monograph is to inform the revision process of the 1977 OAU/AU Convention on the Elimination of Mercenarism in Africa. A strong argument is made for the need for a new continental approach to deal with the new modalities of traditional mercenarism, which involve an emerging and flourishing industry comprised of private military and security companies. It is hoped that the ISS work on the subject of the privatisation of security will bring about a better understanding of the role of the private security sector in peacekeeping and in state and corporate security in Africa, give momentum to an appropriate regulatory regime for private military sector engagement in Africa, including the elimination of mercanary activity and the revision of the OAU/AU Mercenary Convention, and give momentum to and make inputs on the development of appropriate legislative and regulatory frameworks for the regulation of private security companies in Africa countries.

Authors

Mr Sabelo Gumedze is a Senior Researcher in the Security Sector Governance Programme at the Institute for Security Studies, Pretoria, South Africa.

Dr Mpako Foaleng is an Advocate with Refugees International, Washington, DC, United States of America.

Dr Sabelo Ndlovu-Gatsheni is a Lecturer in African Studies at the Ferguson Centre for African and Asian Studies at The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom.

Dr Gwinyayi A Dzinesa is a Lecturer in theDepartment of International Relations at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Dr Cephas Lumina is a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Law, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa and Independent Expert of the United Nations Human Rights Council on the effects of foreign debt & other related financial obligations of States on the full enjoyment of human rights, particularly economic, social & cultural rights.

Dr Sabrina Schulz isaDirector of Policy at the British Association of Private Security, London, United Kingdom.

Mr J J Messner is a Director of Programs and Operations at the International Peace Operations Association, Washington, DC, United States of America.

Mr Jamie Williamson is aRegional Legal Advisor of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Mr Laurence Juma is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Law, Fort Hare University, East London, South Africa.