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Paper short abstract:

Using the hybrid security governance framework, secondary and primary sources, and interviews with relevant stakeholders, this study examines how the Wagner Group's activities, and connivance with non-state actors in some African countries have increased armed conflict and human insecurity.

Paper long abstract:

The emergence of private military companies (PMCs) in Africa, providing security and military support, playing advisory roles, and rendering logistics to countries, has sparked a series of debates among scholars. The most notable PMC is the Wagner Group, which operates in the Central African Republic (CAR), Mali, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Angola, Libya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Mozambique. The experiences of the PMCs in these countries have increased scholarly debate, particularly about whether true or not that outsourcing security to private entities has serious consequences for sovereignty, peace, and security in host countries and across Africa. Nonetheless, the growing issue of support and collaboration between PMCs and non-state actors unleashing new forms of violence in Africa has received insufficient scholarly attention, despite its implications for peace, security, and development. Using the hybrid security governance framework, secondary and primary sources, including interviews with officials from the Ministry of Defence, United Nations, African Union, security sectors, military missions, human rights groups, peace-focused NGOs, think tanks, academics, and security experts, this study examines the extent to which the Wagner Group's intervention activities and subsequent collaboration with non-state actors some African countries have seen an increase in armed conflict and human insecurity. It also looks at how such alliances affect peace and security in Africa and around the world. This will not only assist in unraveling the perils of outsourcing security to PMCs, but will also provide alternative methods for monitoring PMCs' operations in the interests of African peace, security, and stability.