Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Nairobi (Agenzia Fides)- In the midst of a heated debate over the role of Private Military Companies (PMC) in Iraq, a conference on how to employ “contractors”, or mercenaries, in peacekeeping operations in Africa was held in Nairobi, Kenya.
The Conference was attended by UN agencies, NGOs, representatives of various governments and numerous Private Military Companies PMC. Companies in this sector have formed an International Peace Operations Association (IPOA), which has pressured western and African governments and international agencies to present Private Military Companies as the most suited to sustain peace efforts of the international community.
It is true that certain peacekeeping missions in Africa find it difficult to obtain support from western governments, little inclined to commit men and means for years in areas considered non strategic. These missions are undertaken by armies of poor countries willing to employ their own soldiers for motives of prestige and economic reasons (the troops are paid by the UNO). However these armies need complex logistic structures which are supplied by the UN. The United Nations asks western nations to help and the latter are in favour of employing private “contractors” for these duties.
In fact the PMC do not intend to replace UN or AU peacekeepers, they simply offer support in the fields of logistics, transport, training and expertise, how to plan and run the mission.
So this is a far cry from the mercenaries of Bob Denard, who died recently: groups of soldiers paid by this or that power or the dictator at the time. These new Private Military Companies are professional and they are reconverting to supporting peace missions. Their interlocutors and clients are not the secret services of the old colonial powers, they are governments and UN and African Union agencies, NGOs etc. Nevertheless the Iraqi experience shows that companies hired for logistics, to protect personnel and installations, are equipped with private guards from other companies. These private “peacekeepers” are the ones which have caused major incidents with civilians. Hence the need to weigh the pros and cons before taking decisions which can be laden with consequences for the peoples of Africa so sorely tried by conflict such as those in Darfur and in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 25/10/2007 righe 33 parole 435)
