{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.027085590465872156, 'fraction_numerical': 0.0, 'mean_word_length': 5.16, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
The Status of Private Military Companies : When Civilians and Mercenaries Blur

These are the words of UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, whose consideration reflects a contemporary reality. While the ‘privatisation of peace’ may not be a worldwide phenomenon, it is undeniable that the private military and security sectors have seen a growth in conflict involvement.[ii] Such increasing involvement fosters various questions of legality. Most ostensibly, do Private Military and Security Companies[iii] have the right to engage in direct conflict? Do they respect International Humanitarian Law [iv] when doing so? Of equal importance is determining the legal status of a PMC/PSC employee. The status of such employees is of significance in conflict areas, as it may determine their privileges upon capture by a party to a conflict. However, for PMC employees, the line between civilian and combatant may not be clear cut.