The return of mercenaries… Amna Hashmi

The privatisation of warfare through private military companies (PMCs) has become an increasingly prominent feature of modern conflict. Once relegated to history books as mercenaries for hire, PMCs now operate in highly organised and corporate structures, offering governments and private entities services ranging from combat operations to intelligence gathering. Their emergence raises complex questions about accountability, sovereignty and the ethical implications of outsourcing violence. The use of PMCs has particularly surged in conflict zones where they act as tools of statecraft and economic leverage.

One of the most notorious PMCs is Russia’s Wagner Group, whose operations exemplify the multifaceted role of modern mercenaries. Active in Ukraine since 2014, Wagner’s forces have been critical in Russia’s military strategy. Beyond the battlefield, Wagner serves Russia’s geopolitical interests by extending its influence into Africa. In countries like Mali and the Central African Republic, the group secures lucrative contracts for mineral extraction while offering military support to regimes in exchange for loyalty to Moscow. This dual role makes Wagner an indispensable tool for Russia’s hybrid warfare strategy, allowing plausible deniability while achieving strategic objectives. However, Wagner’s activities often come at a high human cost, with reports of atrocities and human rights abuses surfacing from every theater of its operations.

The US has its own history with PMCs. During the Iraq War, Blackwater (now Academi) was contracted greatly for security and logistical operations, becoming a key player in America’s military footprint. However, its involvement was ruined by controversies, particularly the 2007 Nisour Square massacre in Baghdad, where Blackwater personnel killed 17 civilians. This incident highlighted the challenges of regulating PMCs and ensuring accountability in war zones.

In the Middle East, PMCs are now the central part of proxy wars. Wagner’s forces actively participated in the Syrian Civil War assisting Bashar al-Assad’s regime in protecting energy resources. On the other hand, private firms affiliated with the UAE have been accused of extrajudicial murders of political opponents in Yemen, thus deepening an already extended crisis. The growing utilisation of PMCs in such theatres indicates that they are valuable assets in the conduct of operations that are politically sensitive and that do not involve the state.

The consequences of this trend are rather significant. PMCs occupy a legal grey area, where they share characteristics of state and non-state actors, and thus cannot be effectively prosecuted under international law. There are instruments such as the UN’s Montreux Document that seek to provide a framework for the regulation of PMC’s, but compliance is still very low. This absence of regulation enables PMCs to work in what can be referred to as a legal limbo most of the time functioning under the motive of the dollar instead of the right thing to do. Also, their application is problematic in terms of sovereignty since governments of conflict-affected countries relinquish substantial authority to these firms, thereby exacerbating the situation in already weakened states. Technological change is also affecting PMCs’ operations in other ways. With conflicts becoming more and more asymmetrical, the need for professional and affordable private military companies should rise as well.

While PMCs offer governments tactical advantages and deniability, their proliferation poses serious risks to global stability. They commercialise violence, they transform war as a business venture and in most cases they are agents of escalation of the conflict. If the international laws are not strengthened then PMCs will keep on undermining the principles of sovereignty and accountability and in its wake will leave behind uncontrolled violence. The return of mercenaries, now in corporate guise, signals a troubling shift in the nature of modern warfare that the global community cannot afford to ignore.
COURTESY