The Private Security Sector in Africa

In this monograph, three country case studies are featured: the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), South Africa and Uganda. These states present very interesting perspectives of the private security industry, particularly its growth, impact and regulatory frameworks. The contexts in which the industry operates in these countries differ because they are informed largely by social, economic, political and security dynamics. While the case studies cannot be conclusive in their findings for many reasons, they cover the private security industry in these countries, thus enhancing an understanding of the role that its actors play there. These reports are focused on the internal dimension of the private security industry rather than the external one. The findings are therefore country-specific and not necessarily confined to thematic areas. More research is needed, for instance, in understanding the involvement of the industry in African conflicts, peacekeeping missions and humanitarian assistance. The methodology involved the development of a questionnaire that guided researchers. Field and desk researches were also used. The studies involved interviews with users and providers of private security as well as government officials. In addition, the regulatory frameworks in these countries were analysed in these reports. The study was unable to document the traditional types of mercenaries in these countries for a number of reasons, one of which was its focus on supporting the effective regulation of the growing private security sector framework for national, sub-regional and regional legislation and protocols. The countries under research are relatively stable and the study did not extend to particular zones that experience sporadic armed conflicts, which could have mercenary units or outfits. The previous era, which was characterised the use of the traditional types of mercenaries, is long gone. It has been replaced by the proliferation of so-called private security companies (PSCs) and private military companies (PMCs). This does not mean that the PSCs and PMCs are not involved in mercenary activities. Those PSCs and PMCs that may be involved in such activities do so in secret, since mercenarism is prohibited under international and national laws and no PSC or PMC would openly declare its involvement.