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Accepted Paper:

South African mercenaries in Nigeria’s Biafran and Boko Haram conflicts  
Blessing Joseph Edet (University of Uyo)

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Paper short abstract:

The study explores the relationship between South African mercenaries in two separate political conflicts in Nigeria with focus on the Nigerian Civil War and the Boko Haram Insurgency.

Paper long abstract:

The use of mercenaries has been part of the military effort by the Nigerian government to defeat dissident armed groups that sprang up in the country since independence. Subsumed in this effort are mercenaries from South Africa whose contributions in two major political conflicts in Nigeria cannot be overlooked. Focusing on the Nigerian Civil War and the Boko Haram Insurgency in the 20th and 21st centuries respectively, the study explores the relationship between South African mercenaries of the two armed conflicts in Nigeria. The paper is an attempt to contribute to the need for a studied approach to the role and impact of South African mercenaries in the conduct of the two wars, and also the differences in the use of mercenaries during the Biafran war and the Boko Haram insurgency. The study shows emerging changes in the 21st century engagement of mercenaries there by making a major contribution to understanding the increasing legitimacy and acceptance of mercenaries within the global security apparatus

Panel P01
Evolving dynamics of conflict transformation in the 21st Century: The role of mercenaries and their emerging legitimacy within the development nexus
  Session 2 Friday 27 June, 2025, -