“PMSCs had been used in Iraq and Afghanistan and played an increasingly important role in both modern warfare and peacekeeping, a fact that could not be ignored. Likewise, the role that Executive Outcomes played in supporting the government in Sierra Leone had forced Africa to move beyond the concept of such organisations as mere mercenaries. PMSCs currently play a primarily support role in peace missions in Africa. It is possible that South African legislation contributed to changing the playing field, although mercenary activities still take place in Africa. The question posed was how the UN, the AU, the RECs and national governments would deal with this phenomenon. It is vital to have a regulating legislation within this industry, but Mr Boshoff predicted that the implementation of a legal framework to regulate national governments was not likely in the near future.”
