Pro-Government Militias
National Guard (Georgia)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 163 |
| Country: | Georgia |
| Date formed: | Jan. 6, 1992 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | day |
| Details of Formation: | The National Guard was a former rebel group created by Tengiz Kitovani after he was fired as leader of the official Georgian National Guard, which was founded in 1991 (UCDP additional information). It consisted of dissident official National Guard members. The group was involved in the coup of January 6, 1992, deposing President Gamsakhurdia, and Kitovani became one of the two leaders of the Military Council that then invited Shevardnadze to head the future government (Wikipedia). Subsequently, Kitovani’s National Guard became the state’s de facto army (UCDP). |
| Date dissolved: | Jan. 1, 1993 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | month |
| Details of Termination: | Kitovani’s National Guard was dissolved in January 1993 after disagreements between Tengiz Kitovani and President Shevardnadze. |
| Termination Type(s): | government defects |
Former and Successor Group Information
| Predecessor group(s): | none |
| Successor group(s): | none |
| Private Military Company? | no |
| Former Group? | yes |
| Former Armed Group? | yes |
| Former Rebel Group? | yes |
| Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: | 332 |
| PGM Becomes Rebel Group? | no |
| Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
Government Relation, Support, and Training
| Government Relation: | informal (type 1) |
| Created by the Government?: | no | Main Creating Government Institution: | none |
| Government Link(s): | person/minister |
| If link to party, name of party: | |
| Training and Equipment: | no information |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | no information |
| Shared Personnel: | no information |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | no information |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | no information |
| Primary Membership: | no information |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | |
| Force Strength: | [7500, 15000] |
| Target(s): | rebels, insurgents, or other armed group |
| Purpose(s): | protect state, national or religious institutions; protect national borders and integrity |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Membership: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: | The National Guard as coded in the PGMD describes Kitovani’s faction of the National Guard. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The state relied on the National Guard as de-facto army, in the absence of a regular proper army (UCDP). |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | faster mobilization |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | unknown |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no |
| PGM Members Paid? | no information |
| Reasons for Membership: | |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: | The National Guard had around 15,000 members out of which 7,500 joined Kitovani’s opposition fraction (UCDP additional information); news sources speak of 15,000 men in the opposition force. |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The National Guard was headed and commanded by Tengiz Kitovani who also served as Defense Minister under Prime Minister Shevardnadze. Kitovani had significant influence on decision making and was sometimes acting without previous agreement with the government, e.g. when he got involved in Abkhazia (Wikipedia). The National Guard was Kitovani’s personal force, with the regular government lacking real control over them. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.