Abstract

In 2006, the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) undertook a project entitled Regulation of the Private Security Sector in Africa that was supported by IDRC under project 103396. The project focused on the private security sector in South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. The research reports were published and shared with policy organs, including the African Union, with a view to contributing to a revision of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) 1977 Convention for the Elimination of Mercenarism in Africa. During the earlier project, the ISS identified areas for further study, including the private security sector's role in African conflicts, peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance operations. This grant will allow the ISS to critically investigate these areas, as well as trends in outsourcing non-core military functions, and the private security industry and gender, with particular focus on women. The following countries have been selected for case studies: Angola, Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Somalia and Sudan. The ISS will continue to advocate the African Union (AU), other intergovernmental organizations and individual states for appropriate norms and standards governing the private security sector, including revision of the aforementioned 1977 OAU Convention.

Recipient Institution(s)