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Iraq Has Now Spent Five Years Under Military Occupation, and The Iraqhasnowspentfiveyearsundermilitary occupation,andthesufferingoftheIraqi peoplecontinues. WithgrowingpressuretowithdrawUSandUK troopsfromIraq,mercenaryforceshavebeengiven anevergreaterroleintheconflict,makinghundreds ofmillionsofpoundsforthecorporationsthat supplythem. Thecompaniesgrowricherwhile wholecommunitiesarecondemnedtothelong- termpovertywhichcomeswithwar. Despitehundredsofcasesofhumanrights abusebymercenaryforcesoverthepastfiveyears, privatearmieshavebeenimmunefromprosecution. WaronWantisleadingthecampaignforUK legislationtobantheuseofmercenaries inwarandtoregulatetheiractivitiesclosely inallotherarenas. February 2008 Stills from two ‘trophy videos’ shot by PMSCs in Iraq. The videos can be found at www.waronwant.org/pmsc War is one of the chief causes of poverty, headlines and brought scrutiny on the entire destroying schools, hospitals, industry and any industry. But this is far from the only example hopes for development. We did not need the of human rights abuse perpetrated by twin catastrophes of the Afghanistan and Iraq mercenary forces in Iraq: invasions to teach us this. But not everyone is made poorer by war. Many companies • In November 2007 an Iraqi taxi driver was thrive off conflict, and indeed have a vested shot and killed by mercenaries working for interest in seeing it continue. DynCorp International, a private military company hired to protect American diplomats. War on Want brought the problem of private armies to the public’s attention with • In October 2007 mercenaries from Australian our acclaimed report Corporate Mercenaries. firm Unity Resources Group killed two Iraqi The concerns we raised in that report have women in an attack that saw 40 shots fired now turned into public outrage, with new at their car. examples of human rights violations by mercenaries in Iraq coming to light every • In the same month mercenaries working for week.We are stepping up the pressure on UK company Erinys International opened fire the UK government to introduce legislation on a taxi near Kirkuk, wounding three civilians. regulating private military and security companies (PMSCs) and banning them from • In February 2007 a Blackwater sniper shot conflict situations such as Iraq, and we need and killed three Iraqi guards working for the your help to make this happen. Iraqi Media Network from the roof of the Ministry of Justice. Human rights abuses There are currently tens of thousands of • Employees of two PMSCs were implicated in the mercenaries working for PMSCs in Iraq – abuse-of-prisoners scandal at Abu Ghraib prison, the second largest occupation force behind including allegedly raping a male juvenile detainee the US military. As the atrocities committed and directing the use of torture. by these corporate mercenaries mount up, the demand for action against them grows. The scale of the problem When Blackwater mercenaries opened fire in Mercenaries are as old as warfare.Yet the Nisour Square in Baghdad in September 2007, corporations profiting from conflict in war killing 17 Iraqi civilians, it made international zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan have taken Touko Sipiläinen War on Want protestors outside the British Association of Private Security Companies’ annual conference. the tradition of private armies to a completely absence of UK legislation on PMSCs and Wearestepping new level. Companies such as Blackwater, suggested a range of options to regulate the ArmorGroup and Aegis are integral to the war sector. Six years later, the government has failed uppressureonthe in Iraq, and many regularly engage in firefights to take forward any of these options. Both the UKgovernmentto with the Iraqi militia forces. Without them, Iraqi and Afghan governments are introducing act,andweneed the UK and USA would be unable to sustain regulations to control mercenary troops the occupation. operating in their countries, and Washington yourhelptomake has taken steps to hold American PMSCs thishappen. The total income for the private military accountable to US law. Yet still the UK sits on and security sector worldwide has reached a its hands and does nothing. staggering £40 billion a year. Over the past five years the UK government has spent £225 million The British government must take action on PMSCs in Iraq and Afghanistan alone. British immediately to prevent private companies mercenary company Aegis has won a second engaging in combat overseas.The UN major contract from the US military, for a working group on mercenaries has called massive £235 million over the next two years. on countries such as the UK to introduce PMSCs are now recruiting low-paid mercenaries legislation on PMSCs as a matter of urgency, from countries in Latin America and Asia so as and even the industry itself recognises it to cut costs and boost profits even further. can no longer operate outside the law. Please send the card attached to your MP Time for action to demand government action.Together For the government, using private military and we can rein in the mercenary armies security forces has clear advantages. As one and protect future generations from the mercenary told the BBC, “If a private security privatisation of war. contractor is killed on active duty, you don’t get any body bag pictures on the front pages.That To download our report Corporate Mercenaries, means no bad publicity for the government.” and for more information on our campaign, Yet the recent series of human rights abuses go to www.waronwant.org/pmsc committed by mercenaries in Iraq has underlined how unacceptable it is for PMSCs to continue operating outside the law. In 2002 the British government published a Green Paper in which it acknowledged the problems caused by the PANOS J.B. Russell / Armedsecurity A private security contractor hired by global Sygenta’s test site. In the afternoon a bus stopped agribusiness Syngenta shot and killed a farmer in front of the main entrance and 40 heavily contractors in October 2007 in Brazil. Valmir Motta, 32 years armed gunmen got off and started shooting at forcefullyevict old and a father of three, was killed and six others the peasants. The gunmen killedValmir Motta farmersfrom were severely wounded in the Brazilian state of with two shots to the chest, shot five other Paraná. Motta was a member ofVia Campesina, peasants and assaulted Isabel do Nascimento their land. an organisation which represents millions of small de Souza, leaving her in a critical condition. farmers and helps them to combat exploitation Syngenta, one of the world’s biggest agribusinesses, by multinational corporations and pro-corporate hired armed security contractors who forcefully government policies.War on Want is a proud evicted farmers from their land and attacked partner of Via Campesina’s work around peasant camps in the region around their test the world. site. The company’s actions have been denounced repeatedly, including last October during a public Valmir Motta had joined with 70 peasant families hearing coordinated by Brazil’s Human Rights to protest Syngenta’s illegal planting of genetically and Minorities Commission. modified (GM) soya and maize seeds. In 2006 a £290,000 fine was levied against the multinational Our partner’s occupation of the test site has seed company for planting GM seeds in the been recognised as crucial in publicising protected zone around Iguaçu National Park, Syngenta’s illegal activities. Via Campesina is and Motta and others occupied Syngenta’s test demanding an investigation into the attacks site. In July 2007, after 16 months of resistance, on rural workers.They, and the residents of the families gave up their occupation and moved the Olga Benário settlement which borders to a provisional settlement called Olga Benário. the Syngenta test site, continue to oppose the company’s GM experiments in the area But on the morning of 21October 2007, about as these contaminate their own seeds and 150 peasants fromVia Campesina reoccupied damage the environment. Five residents of Phiri, Soweto War on Want is joining forces with who sued when the city drastically some of Britain’s biggest comedians reduced their basic water provision for a night of hilarious stand-up and won their day in court in December. sketches.Top names Armstrong & The Johannesburg High Court heard Miller, Lee Mack, Shazia Mirza, and the residents’ challenge to the illegal Jo Caulfield will be joined by rising limits placed on household water stars Jack Whitehall and Josh Howie provision, and their request to double at London's Shepherds Bush Empire the meagre ration of 25 litres per on 21 February. All proceeds from day that some residents are receiving. this must-see gig will go towards The residents have been receiving War on Want’s work fighting global support from War on Want partner poverty. Call 0844 477 2000 or visit organisation the Anti-Privatisation ticketweb.co.uk to book tickets. Forum since the water company installed prepaid water meters in In Mozambique, 400 peasant farmers their homes starting in 2003. protested the government’s giveaway of public land to private investors. A law protecting babaçu trees The protestors represented regional from logging has been passed in farmers’ associations from around Brazil.The trees produce the babaçu the country. Addressing the crowd nuts which provide the sole source wasVice-President of the National of income for nearly 400,000 women Union of Peasant Farmers Joao Palate in four states. War on Want’s partner – a War on Want partner – who said MIQCB has been campaigning that, while they supported
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