Thriving on war: The Angolan conflict & private business

Abstract

With their huge demand for arms and substantial natural resource revenues, Angolan belligerents have made Angola a ‘dream country’ for savvy businessmen able to juggle political relations, arms dealing, and natural resources brokering. Recent investigations by the French judicial system, the UK‐based NGO Global Witness, and UN sanctions monitors have cast a new light on the arms deals and corruption that plagued Angola throughout the 1990s. This Briefing retraces the rise of two businessmen who benefited from and participated in the Angola tragedy. Their careers highlight the inadequacies and ambiguities of the international community and international law in terms of regulating businesses during armed conflicts. Recent initiatives bringing about more transparency and accountability in the use of resource revenues are important steps forward, but an international legal framework is required to take into account the commercialised nature of contemporary wars and war economies.