Abstract
The world is facing today new forms of mercenarism. Non-State armed groups, such as foreign fighters and private military and security companies (PMSCs), operate with impunity in armed conflicts.
In the 1960s, colonial powers recruited mercenaries, particularly in Africa, to crush liberation movements fighting for their independence. Private military and security companies closely linked to the economic interests of the international mining sector have replaced these soldiers of fortune, or dogs of war.
The turning of the century has seen PMSCs increasingly taking part in hostilities and armed conflicts. The revolving door phenomenon between governments and PMSCs, particularly in Western countries, has largely contributed to this phenomenon.
With the globalization of the economy, in the 1980s, governments are increasingly outsourcing to the private sector security and a number of functions considered as the prerogative of the State.
The United Nations has defined the use of mercenaries “as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination.” In order to control this phenomenon, it adopted, in 1989, the International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries.
The UN Convention, however, as well as other international instruments adopted in the mid-twentieth century have become obsolete to deal with the new forms of mercenarism.
This article underscores the difficulties to apply the provisions contained in the definition of the 1989 Convention and emphasizes the need to adopt a new binding international instrument regulating private military and security companies.
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Notes
- 1.
Scahill J. (2013), pp. 481–482.
- 2.
Krahmann, E. (2013), pp. 53–71.
- 3.
United Nations, Resolution 2625 (XXV) of October 24, 1970; United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3314 (XXIX) of December 14, 1974, Article 3 (g); International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
- 4.
United Nations General Assembly: Resolution 3103(XXVIII); Resolution 2548(XXIV); Resolution 2395(XXIII); Resolution 2465(XXIII).
- 5.
Lockwood, G. H. (1977), pp. 183–202.
- 6.
United Nations Documents A/44//43; A/C.6/44/SR.42; A/44/766 Agenda item 144 Report of the Sixth Committee; A/44/P.V.72; A/C.6/44/SR. 41-42-44 and Corr.1.
- 7.
United Nations documents A/HRC/33/43, paragraph 92 and A/HRC/30/34, paragraph 133.
- 8.
United Nations, Document A/HRC/18/32/Add.3, paragraph 32–38.
- 9.
United Nations Document A/HRC/24/45, paragraph 13.
- 10.
United Nations Document A/HRC/18/32/Add.2, paragraph 20.
- 11.
Krahmann, E. (2013), pp. 53–71.
- 12.
The Atlantic (2016).
- 13.
Gómez del Prado, J.L. (2012), pp. 262–286.
- 14.
United Nations Document A/HRC/32/39, May 6, 2016; UN International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia, CC/PIO/190-E, (1997) TADIC CASE: THE VERDICT.
- 15.
Gómez del Prado, J. L. (2011), pp. 24–27.
- 16.
African Union Document EX.CL/846(XXV), Annex 5.
- 17.
United Nations Document E/CN.4/2004/15; UN General Assembly Documents A/44/766; A/44/P.V.72; A/C.6/44/SR. 41-42-44 and Corr.1.
- 18.
The Atlantic, Ibid.
- 19.
United Nations Documents A/HRC/18/32/Add.2 and A/63/467.
- 20.
- 21.
Guardian, January 10, 2013.
- 22.
Gómez del Prado, J. L. (2011), p. 49.
- 23.
BBC News (2010).
- 24.
War on Want (2016).
- 25.
Scahill, J. (2013), pp. 177–178.
- 26.
The Atlantic, Ibid.
- 27.
Bloomberg (2012); War on Want, ibid.
- 28.
United Nations Document A/HRC/30/47 (2015), paragraph 61–64.
- 29.
Guardian, Ibid; War on Want, Ibid.
- 30.
Lloyd’s List (2013); War on Want, ibid; United Nations Document A/HRC/30/47, (2015) paragraph 53–64.
- 31.
United Nations, General Assembly Resolution A/RES/44/34, of 4 December 1989.
- 32.
United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1125, No. 17512.
- 33.
Duffield, M. (2004), pp. 40–43.
- 34.
- 35.
United Nations (2013), pp. 5–7.
- 36.
United Nations Document A/70/330, pp. 4–7.
- 37.
United Nations Documents: Chile (A/HRC/7/7/Add.4), Ecuador (A/HRC/4/42/Add.1), Fiji (A/HRC/7/7/Add.3), Honduras (A/HRC/4/42/Add.2), Peru (A/HRC/7/7Add. 2).
- 38.
United Nations Document E/CN.4/2002/20, paragraph 88.
- 39.
United Nations Document A/70/330, paragraph 87.
- 40.
Antonyshyn, D., Grofe, J. & Hubert, D. (2009).
- 41.
United Nations Document A/HRC/7/7/Add.4, paragraph 13.
- 42.
United Nations Document A/HRC/7/7Add.2, paragraph 27–28.
- 43.
Weinberg, S. (1994).
- 44.
Le Monde (2006).
- 45.
- 46.
Percy, S. (2007).
- 47.
Temps Present (2005).
- 48.
United Nations Documents A/HRC/7/7Add.2 and A/HRC/7/7Add.4.
- 49.
- 50.
- 51.
Diplock Report, (1976) paragraph 6.
- 52.
Percy, S. (2007), p. 177.
- 53.
United Nations Document A/HRC/31/68 paragraph 136–139.
- 54.
Solomon, E. & Mhidi, A. (2015).
- 55.
El País (2016).
- 56.
ATT Monitor (2016).
- 57.
Saner, R. (2015).
- 58.
Scahill, J. (2013), pp. 177–178.
- 59.
Mother Jones (2008).
- 60.
Saner, R., Ibid.
- 61.
United Nations Documents A/HRC/24/45, A/HRC/27/50, A/HRC/30/34 and A/HRC/33/43.
- 62.
United Nations Document A/HRC/27/50, paragraph 68.
- 63.
United Nations Document A/HRC/30/34, paragraph 131.
- 64.
Percy, S. (2007), p. 177.
- 65.
United Nations Document A/HRC/30/47, July 9, 2015, paragraph 77. 1.
- 66.
Saner, R. Ibid.
- 67.
Saner, R. Ibid.
- 68.
- 69.
Saner, R. Ibid.
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del Prado, J.L.G. (2017). The Ineffectiveness of the Current Definition of a “Mercenary” in International Humanitarian and Criminal Law. In: Torroja, H. (eds) Public International Law and Human Rights Violations by Private Military and Security Companies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66098-1_4
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