[2] The history of mercenaries in Africa is ancient, but they rose to new levels of activity, power, and scrutiny during the periods of decolonization and the Cold War with the rise of the private military company (PMC).
[3] The nascent post-colonial governments of the region were often abysmally short on resources, manpower, and equipment, allowing PMCs to even act as kingmakers-for-hire for distant, resource-interested corporations and competing superpowers, threatening stability across the entire continent.
[3] In 1992, one such company, the South Africa-based Executive Outcomes (EO), drew international attention for its involvement in the Angolan Civil War, in which it had begun the conflict supporting the rebel anti-communist group National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) against the Marxist–Leninist People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) government based in Luanda, before accepting a contract with Ranger Oil to protect its facilities from UNITA.
[10] The FMAA criminalizes financing, engaging in, or recruiting, training or employing people for mercenary activity, in South Africa or abroad,[11] punishable by fine, imprisonment, or both.
[2] The FMAA criminalizes offering military or military-adjacent services, including advice, training, recruitment, medical services, procurement or equipment, or armed security in conflict areas, or conduct or attempt any coup,[12] to any entity or person without specific and likely conditional authorization from the National Conventional Arms Control Committee, or to fail to comply with conditions set by the NCACC,[11] punishable by fine, imprisonment, or both.