A forum for participants of the Montreux Document on pertinent international legal obligations and good practices for states related to operations of private military and security companies during armed conflict.

The Regional Conference Report Launch Event in Ethiopia

The event gathered representatives of African States, as well as the African Union, Regional Economic Communities, and civil society. Photo: IPSS-Addis
The event gathered representatives of African States, as well as the African Union, Regional Economic Communities, and civil society. Photo: IPSS-Addis

On 24 November 2016, DCAF and the Institute for Peace and Security Studies at Addis Ababa University organised an event to launch the Report from the Regional Conference on Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs).

The report presents the discussions held at the regional conference in November 2015 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and the recommendations arising from it. This event was supported by the Swiss Embassy and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Delegation to the African Union and the ICRC Delegation in Ethiopia.

The regional conference was co-hosted by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, ICRC, and the Institute for Peace and Security Studies – Addis Ababa University, and DCAF. The event gathered representatives of African States, as well as the African Union, Regional Economic Communities, and civil society to discuss national and regional experiences with PMSCs and identify concrete ways in which the Montreux Document can advance in the regulation of PMSCs.

The conclusions of the event highlighted that the widespread agreement that the provision of private security has undergone an important evolution with a rise in international PMSCs and domestic private security companies. Participants also discussed how the roles and activities of PMSCs have expanded; in Africa today PMSCs provide operational support to humanitarian actors. Finally, a number of participants raised that community experiences with PMSCs should be taken into account in research of PMSCs and expressed the need to translate the MD to local contexts and to develop actionable solutions.

The Regional Conference in Addis Ababa followed the 2014 conference in Dakar, Senegal and raised awareness of the Montreux Document in the African context.

The panellists were Professor Amr Abdalla and Professor Charles Ukeje, Senior Advisor for Education and Professional Development at IPSS, and Anna Marie Burdzy, Project Officer at DCAF.

Download the Regional Conference Report (EN)

THE REPORT PRESENTS THE DISCUSSIONS HELD AT THE REGIONAL CONFERENCE IN NOVEMBER 2015 IN ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS ARISING FROM IT.