Two good articles on Libya and the 'mercenary' issue

        Read these two articles to get a sense of just one slice of the myriad issues at hand in Libya.   I came across these two articles via the always excellent Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS) daily media review (also available en francais).  If you aren't a subscriber already, you should sign up!  You can also follow them on twitter (AfricaACSS).  You're on twitter right?     

Libya: African mercenaries 'immune from prosecution for war crimes'
"The key paragraph said that anyone from a non-ICC country alleged to have committed crimes in Libya would “be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction” of their own country. It was inserted despite Susan Rice, the US ambassador to the UN, saying that all those “who slaughter civilians” would “be held personally accountable”. "  Algeria, Ethiopia and Tunisia are among the countries that aren't part of the ICC court.   This hypothetically means that a mercenary from one of those countries couldn't be tried for their war crimes in the ICC.  Of note, the author points out that the US withdrew from the ICC in 2002 in "an attempt to prevent a precedent that could see Americans prosecuted by the ICC for alleged crimes in other conflicts."  As always, there's more to the issue than a quick superficial article I am sure. 

Gaddafi’s ‘African mercenaries’: Myth or reality?  In juxtaposition to first article the author of this article points out some of the subleties surrounding the term "African mercanaries."  I would add that 10% of Libya's population are immigrants. 
"‘According to a United Nations Human Rights statement – ‘Libya must end its practices of racial discrimination against black Africans, particularly its racial persecution of two million black African migrant workers. There is substantial evidence of Libya’s pattern and practice of racial discrimination against migrant workers’
‘Against such a background it is perhaps reasonable to question the validity of this supposed use of “African” mercenaries by the Gaddafi regime to thwart the efforts of protesters. Given Libya’s relatively large black population, are we to assume or conclude that their presence in Gaddafi’s security forces is that mysterious? If so I wonder why?"
    This article is well worth the time to read since the author has aggregated a number of articles on the issue, including one which speaks to the depth of Libyan influence (largely financial) on the continent of Africa. 

I will leave you with one question that is subject to debate:

What is the difference between a mercenary and private corporate security?

One book that was recommended to me is "Elimination of Mercanarism in Africa: A need for a continental approach" edited by Sabelo Gumedze.  I haven't had the chance to read it, but will be sure to provide a review on the ever expanding FAO Reading List (please let me know if you have suggestions for books I am missing).