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.
On 11-12 November 2015, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS - Addis Ababa University) and the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) organised a regional conference on private military and security companies (PMSCs) in Addis Ababa.
The Conference aimed to initiate a dialogue on the challenges and good practices of regulating PMSCs in the region. Participants also discussed the guidance provided by the Montreux Document and its relevance for the African continent.
As the second Regional Conference on the African continent, the event was attended by 16 states from the Anglophone African region: Botswana, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. A Regional Conference for Francophone and Lusophone states was held in June 2014, in Dakar Senegal.
With over 80 participants, the Conference was also attended by high level representatives of the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Commission, the AU Commission for Political Affairs, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the United Nations (UN), and the UN Office to the AU.
A high-level keynote address was delivered by Dr. Tarek Sharif, Head of the Division of Defence and Security, AU Commission.
“Private military and security companies are a growing global phenomenon, which leads to valid concerns over ensuring the respect of human rights and international humanitarian law.”
Anne- Béatrice Bullinger, Embassy of Switzerland in Ethiopia.
