Searching for Resources, Offering Security ... Private Military Companies in Sierra Leone

Abstract

Private military and security companies are actively involved in countries rich in natural resources, such as Sierra Leone. In this small West African state, private military companies (PMCs) had a huge military influence as well as an economic impact with regard to the exploitation of the state’s resources during the civil war in the 1990s. The nexus between natural resources and the availability of private security through PMCs is not easy to verify, however, such a correlation appears to be more than obvious when analyzing countries in which PMCs operate. Therefore, the following case study on Sierra Leone will provide an overview of the dynamics of the Sierra Leonean conflict with a focus on the employment of PMCs. Furthermore, the relationship between the existence of natural resources and the ability of a resource-rich state to deploy a PMC shall be examined.