Pro-Government Militias
Kiboko Squad (Uganda)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 194 |
| Country: | Uganda |
| Date formed: | April 19, 2007 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | day |
| Details of Formation: | The Kiboko Squad first surfaced in 2007 and is described as an ad-hoc group, that assaults civilians and opposition leaders, particularly in the run-up to the 2011 presidential elections. |
| Date dissolved: | March 4, 2011 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | month |
| Details of Termination: | In March 2011, the self-proclaimed leader of the group was arrested. The police also released a list of members of the Squad, designating them as illegal groupings. Due to these incidents, the group ceases to be a pro-government militia. |
| Termination Type(s): | government defects |
Former and Successor Group Information
| Predecessor group(s): | none |
| Successor group(s): | none |
| Private Military Company? | no |
| Former Group? | no |
| Former Armed Group? | NA |
| Former Rebel Group? | NA |
| Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
| 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?: | unclear | Main Creating Government Institution: | none |
| Government Link(s): | person/minister; political party |
| If link to party, name of party: | National Resistance Movement |
| Training and Equipment: | yes |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | yes |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | military |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | urban; security forces; adolescents |
| Primary Membership: | no information |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Kampala |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, unknown] |
| Target(s): | civilians; unarmed political opposition, government critics |
| Purpose(s): | intimidation of civilians; intimidate political opposition |
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: | President Museveni praised the group’s actions saying that they were “on the side of justice”. It is claimed that the members of the Squad come from all walks of life, including police officers, spies, salesmen, taxi conductors and touts. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The Kiboko Squad threathened and assaulted civilians as well as opposition leaders. They acted violently towards them during opposition demonstrations in order to fend off potential threats to Museveni’s incumbency. Witnesses said that the group works alongside the police, however a police spokesperson denied that members of the Squad had been deployed. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | deniability of violence |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | Several instances of severe beatings of civilians have been reported, carried out by the Kiboko Squad. The police denied allegations of supporting and mobilising the Squad although on several occasions they failed to hold members of the group accountable for their actions (Human Rights Watch 2009, 2011). |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | beating |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no information |
| PGM Members Paid? | unclear |
| Reasons for Membership: | no information |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: | no information |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | The Kiboko Squad is armed with large sticks (HRW 2009). The police and other security agencies have denied training and arming the group. Whether this denial is credible is uncertain as another source claims that the militia moved as a trained, prepared and coordinated unit around the streets, inspiring fear in civilians (Human Rights Watch 2009). |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The Kiboko Squad is headed by Juma Semakula, nicknamed ‘Backfire’. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.