Private Military and Security Companies and the Political Marketplace in Mogadishu
This memo analyses the evolving role of international Private Military and Security Companie in Somalia through the lens of the political marketplace
Abstract
This research memo is an abridged version of an internally circulated memo that analyses the evolving role of international Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs) in Somalia through the lens of the political marketplace. Focusing on the growth of security firms within (and around) Mogadishu’s green zone, it highlights how security firms to an extent position themselves as ‘gatekeepers’ for the international community, and within a political marketplace for security services that is transactional rather than regulated. Yet, in the absence of effective formal regulation, PMSCs are heavily reliant upon so-called ‘local’ partners to navigate this marketplace, who provide information, a point of access into clan, kinship and personal relations and the political capital necessary to operate. Focusing on the period 2008-late 2017, the memo tracks the rise of a commercial security industry in Mogadishu. PMSCs are one of a number of different state and non-state security providers operating in Mogadishu, and in recent years the numbers and power of PMSCs has waned, as AMISOM has gained more influence and the federal government has made attempts to control the sector. The memo begins with an overview of the evolution of PMSCs in Somalia, before analysing in more detail the effects of this growth
This work is part of the Conflict Research Programme managed by the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
Citation
Jethro Norman (2020) Private Military and Security Companies and the Political Marketplace in Mogadishu Conflict Research Programme LSE
Link
Private Military and Security Companies and the Political Marketplace in Mogadishu