Private armies

For most people war means pain, suffering and poverty. Yet not everyone is made poorer by war. For some companies, war means profit. Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs) are making a killing out of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in conflicts around the globe.

There are currently tens of thousands of mercenaries working for private military and security companies (PMSCs). UK companies are some of the biggest players in the industry yet they remain unregulated and unaccountable, leaving open the potential for human rights violations.

Killings and human rights abuses by private armies in Iraq have dominated the headlines. There are hundreds of reports of human rights abuses by PMSC employees, including incidents of contractors firing indiscriminately at civilians. In one incident in September 2007, 17 Iraqi civilians were killed by American PMSC Blackwater. A 'trophy video' shows employees of British company Aegis Defence Services randomly shooting automatic weapons at civilian cars in Baghdad. Aegis coordinates the operations of all PMSCs working in Iraq, including two PMSCs involved in the prisoner torture and rape scandal at Abu Ghraib prison.

Human rights violations committed by PMSCs will only stop by ending their impunity, which requires robust government regulation. Yet the UK government has chosen to continue giving PMSCs a free hand, in stark contrast with the Iraqi government and US Congress, which has moved to regulate the industry.

In April 2009 the UK government announced that it was rejecting the idea of formal regulation for this deadly industry. Instead, Foreign Secretary David Milliband proposed that mercenary groups sign up to a voluntary code of conduct, which they are by definition free to ignore.

War on Want believes that self-regulation is not an option. Take action and find out more about the consultation.