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Book Details
Abstract
This powerful book critiques mercenary involvement in post-Cold War African conflicts. The contributors investigate the links between the rise in internal conflicts and the proliferation of mercenary activities in the 1990s; the distinction in the methods adopted by Cold War mercenaries and their contemporary counterparts; the convoluted network between private armies; business interests and sustained poverty in Africa’s poorest countries; and the connection between mercenary activities and arms proliferation. Countries discussed include Sierra Leone, Zaire, Angola, Uganda and Congo.
Table of Contents
| Section Title | Page | Action | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contents | v | ||
| About the Centre for Democracy and Development | vii | ||
| Programme on Conflict Management, Regional Security & Peacebuilding | vii | ||
| Foreword | viii | ||
| Acknowledgements | xi | ||
| Abbreviations and Acronyms | xii | ||
| Introduction | 1 | ||
| Brief Overview of the African Encounter with Mercenarism | 5 | ||
| Structure of Book | 7 | ||
| Synopsis | 8 | ||
| Introduction Notes | 11 | ||
| 1. Africa in Search of Security: Mercenaries and Conflicts An Overview | 13 | ||
| What is Mercenarism? | 16 | ||
| Political Context of Mercenary Activities in Africa during the Cold War | 19 | ||
| The Mercenary Agenda in Contemporary Africa | 22 | ||
| What Future for Mercenarism? | 28 | ||
| Re-conceptualising the Security Environment | 30 | ||
| Improving the Legal Frameworks of Mercenarism: Between Regulation and Redundancy | 34 | ||
| Conclusion | 38 | ||
| Notes Chapter 1 | 39 | ||
| 2. Private Military Companies and African Security 1990 98 | 43 | ||
| PMCs and the 'New World Order' | 44 | ||
| PMCs before 1990 | 46 | ||
| EO in 1990-92 | 49 | ||
| PMCs in Angola 1993-97 | 51 | ||
| PMCs in Central Africa 1996-1998 | 54 | ||
| PMCs in Angola and Sierra Leone 1998 | 59 | ||
| Other PMC Activity in Africa | 60 | ||
| PMCs in South Africa since 1991 | 63 | ||
| Executive Outcomes and Branch- Heritage: The EO- Branch Network | 63 | ||
| The Branch- Heritage Group | 64 | ||
| Strategic Resources Corporation | 66 | ||
| Plaza 107 Ltd | 67 | ||
| Links between the Branch- Heritage group and Executive Outcomes | 67 | ||
| Conclusion | 70 | ||
| Note on Sources | 71 | ||
| Notes Chapter 2 | 71 | ||
| 3. A Country Under Siege: State Decay and Corporate Military Intervention in Sierra Leone | 76 | ||
| Early Private Security in the Political Economy of Sierra Leone | 77 | ||
| Sierra Leone A Portrait | 78 | ||
| The Colonial Imprint | 78 | ||
| Military/ Defence Structures in Sierra Leone | 79 | ||
| The Anatomy of State Collapse | 81 | ||
| Economic Decline and Mounting Tensions | 82 | ||
| Challenges to the Neocolonial State | 83 | ||
| Emergence of the Revolutionary United Front | 84 | ||
| The Gurkha Security Guards | 87 | ||
| Executive Outcomes | 88 | ||
| The Peace Agreement | 89 | ||
| Post- Election Traumas | 91 | ||
| The Price of EO intervention | 91 | ||
| Corporate Mercenaries in the Kabbah Administration s Strategic Thinking | 92 | ||
| Reactions to the 25 May Coup | 96 | ||
| The Plot behind an African Coup | 97 | ||
| Sandline International | 98 | ||
| Motives behind the Assault Partnership | 100 | ||
| The Vultures Swoop: A Country under Mercenary Occupation | 104 | ||
| Is Sierra Leone any Closer to Peace and Democracy? | 106 | ||
| Weapons Continue to Dominate Sierra Leone | 108 | ||
| Conclusion: Winners and Losers | 109 | ||
| Notes Chapter 3 | 111 | ||
| 4. The Hand of War: Mercenaries in the Former Zaire 1996 97 | 117 | ||
| The Congo as Cradle of Modern-day Mercenarism in Africa | 120 | ||
| The Revolutionary Wind of Change, 1996 | 121 | ||
| War in Eastern Zaire and the First Tutsi- led Rebellion | 124 | ||
| Mercenaries for Mobutu | 126 | ||
| War Bonanza | 127 | ||
| Executive Outcomes | 130 | ||
| Confusion in Kinshasa | 131 | ||
| Western European Forces under Christian Tavernier | 134 | ||
| Eastern- European Mercenary Forces under Colonel Dominic Yugo | 138 | ||
| South African Mercenary Forces under Former EO Commanders | 140 | ||
| The Failure of the Zairean Mercenary Counter- offensives at Kisangani | 144 | ||
| Conclusion | 145 | ||
| Notes Chapter 4 | 149 | ||
| 5. Mining for Serious Trouble: Jean- R ymond Boulle and his Corporate Empire Project | 155 | ||
| Le Jeu de Boulle | 156 | ||
| America Mineral Fields | 157 | ||
| Jean- Raymond Boulle | 157 | ||
| Fall- Out and Rivalry | 160 | ||
| Equally Armed and Dangerous | 161 | ||
| IDAS in Angola | 163 | ||
| Conclusion: Treading on Minefields Where States Dare Not | 165 | ||
| Notes Chapter 5 | 166 | ||
| 6. Mercenaries, Human Rights and Legality | 169 | ||
| LEGAL ASPECTS OF THE MERCENARY TRADE | 170 | ||
| Domestic Legislation | 170 | ||
| PRIVATE MILITARY COMPANIES Executive Outcomes ( EO) in Angola | 172 | ||
| Executive Outcomes in Sierra Leone | 175 | ||
| Sandline International in Papua New Guinea | 177 | ||
| Sandline in Sierra Leone | 179 | ||
| DiamondWorks | 180 | ||
| The White Legion | 181 | ||
| Stabilco | 182 | ||
| Mercenary Intervention in Congo- Brazzaville | 182 | ||
| Gurkha Security Guards ( GSG) | 183 | ||
| PRIVATE SECURITY COMPANIES | 183 | ||
| Defence Systems Limited ( DSL) | 184 | ||
| DSL in Colombia | 186 | ||
| AirScan | 188 | ||
| Conclusion | 188 | ||
| Notes Chapter 6 | 193 | ||
| 7. The OAU Convention for the Elimination of Mercenarism and Civil Conflicts | 198 | ||
| The Impact of Mercenaries on Armed Conflicts | 199 | ||
| CEMA and internal conflicts in Africa | 200 | ||
| Conclusion | 204 | ||
| Notes Chapter 7 | 205 | ||
| 8. Understanding the African Security Crisis | 210 | ||
| The Security Paradox | 211 | ||
| Security as a Racket | 212 | ||
| 'Back to the Future': The OAU and African State-Making | 215 | ||
| New Post- Cold War Configurations of Force | 216 | ||
| New Forms of Militarisation in the 1990s | 218 | ||
| Possible Solutions: Reforming Paradigms and Structures | 225 | ||
| Notes Chapter 8 | 230 | ||
| 9. Arresting the Tide of Mercenaries: Prospects for Regional Control | 233 | ||
| Regulation or Abolition? | 233 | ||
| Why is the Activity not Morally Defensible? | 234 | ||
| COMBATING THE NEED FOR PRIVATE ARMIES: SHORT- TO MEDIUM-TERM STRATEGIES | 238 | ||
| Relying on Regional Hegemonies | 240 | ||
| The African Crisis Response Initiative | 242 | ||
| MAKING MERCENARIES PERMANENTLY UNNECESSARY LONG- TERM STRATEGIES | 244 | ||
| Revisiting the Roots | 245 | ||
| Post- Cold War Opportunities | 247 | ||
| The Economic Community of West African States ( ECOWAS) | 248 | ||
| The Southern African Development Community | 251 | ||
| Regional Security under SADC | 251 | ||
| Stumbling Blocks | 252 | ||
| Conclusion | 254 | ||
| Notes Chapter 9 | 255 | ||
| Conclusion | 257 | ||
| Interrogating Mercenarism | 259 | ||
| Appendix 1. Mercenaries: Africa's Experience 1950s-1990 | 265 | ||
| Appendix 2. Convention for the Elimination of Mercenarism in Africa | 275 | ||
| Preamble | 275 | ||
| Article 1 | 276 | ||
| Article 2 | 276 | ||
| Article 3 | 276 | ||
| Article 4 | 277 | ||
| Article 5 | 277 | ||
| Article 6 | 277 | ||
| Article 7 | 278 | ||
| Article 8 | 278 | ||
| Article 9 | 278 | ||
| Article 10 | 279 | ||
| Article 11 | 279 | ||
| Article 12 | 279 | ||
| Article 13 | 279 | ||
| Article 14 | 280 | ||
| Article 15 | 280 | ||
| Appendix 3. OAU Resolution on the Activities of Mercenaries | 281 | ||
| AHG/ Res. 49 ( IV) September ( 1967) ( Kinshasa) | 281 | ||
| Appendix 4. OAU Declaration on the Activities of Mercenaries in Africa | 283 | ||
| Appendix 5. OAU Convention for the Elimination of Mercenaries in Africa | 286 | ||
| Preamble | 286 | ||
| Article One | 286 | ||
| Article Two | 287 | ||
| Article Three | 287 | ||
| Article Four | 288 | ||
| Article Five | 288 | ||
| Article Six | 288 | ||
| Article Seven | 288 | ||
| Appendix 6. The Report by the UN Special R pporteur on the Use of Mercenaries, 1998 | 289 | ||
| CONTENTS ( PARAGRAPHS) | 289 | ||
| Introduction | 290 | ||
| I. ACTIVITIES OF THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR A. Implementation of the programme of activities | 291 | ||
| B. Correspondence | 292 | ||
| C. Correspondence Regarding Mercenary Activities Against Cuba | 297 | ||
| II. MERCENARY ACTIVITIES IN SIERRA LEONE | 299 | ||
| III. PERSISTENCE AND EVOLUTION OF MERCENARY ACTIVITIES | 301 | ||
| A. The Present Situation | 302 | ||
| B. Current International Legislation and its Limitations | 305 | ||
| C. Terrorism and Mercenary Activities | 309 | ||
| IV. PRIVATE SECURITY AND MILITARY ASSISTANCE COMPANIES AND MERCENARY ACTIVITIES | 311 | ||
| V. CURRENT STATUS OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION AGAINST THE RECRUITMENT, USE, FINANCING AND TRAINING OF MERCENARIES | 315 | ||
| VI. CONCLUSIONS | 316 | ||
| VII. RECOMMENDATIONS | 319 | ||
| Notes on Contributors | 321 | ||
| Index | 323 | ||
| Abacha, Gen Sani, president of Nigeria | 102 |