Pro-Government Militias
Phantom Death Squad (Guyana)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 246 |
| Country: | Guyana |
| Date formed: | Jan. 1, 2002 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | Around 1999, drug trafficker Shaheed Khan formed a gang, the phantom death squad, at the urging of some members of president Jagdeo's regime. It is unclear if they immediately began working for the government, but the might have received some kind of governmental support through Jagdeo's then minister of national security Ronald Gajraj. In 2002, a gang of prison-escapees performed a series of murderous violence, which was then stopped by the phantom squad at Jagdeo's command. From this point on, the death squad can definitely be linked to the government. Apparently, there were 2 death squads in action, one formed by Khan and another one directly formed by members of the government. |
| Date dissolved: | Unknown |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | It is not explicitly stated that the group was officially terminated or ceased to be pro-government. However, one report says that the group was dissolved. Another source states that it was “retired” and the fact that there were rumours about its reemergence in 2008 (which the government denied) implies some kind of change in its activities. |
| Termination Type(s): | not terminated |
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? | no |
| Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
| PGM Becomes Rebel Group? | no information |
| 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: | None |
| Training and Equipment: | no information |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | yes |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | no information |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | security forces |
| Primary Membership: | no information |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | None |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, unknown] |
| Target(s): | criminals; unarmed political opposition, government critics; rebels, insurgents, or other armed group; ethnic group; journalists |
| Purpose(s): | self-defense and security; intimidation of ethnic/religious groups; anti crime; intimidate political opposition |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | Afro-Guyanese (Guyana) |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | given |
| Ethnic Membership: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Purpose: | Afro-Guyanese (Guyana) |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | given |
Other Information
| Other Information: | The group was also referred to as “Black Clothes Police”. Members were paid $200 - $500 per assassination. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The group was formed to fight criminals in response to crime levels spiralling out of control, which the police was unable to counter on its own. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | unknown |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | The group killed individuals extrajudicially, based on suspected criminal activity. There were accusations that innocent people have also been killed and that particularly Afro-Guyanese civilians were targeted. The PGM also carried out kidnappings. According to news sources, the police and military tolerated this behaviour. In total, it is estimated that the group killed 200 – 400 people. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | kidnapping/abductions; killing |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no information |
| PGM Members Paid? | yes |
| Reasons for Membership: | |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | There is no evidence of training having been provided by government but members (especially of the branch established by Khan) were recruited from former members of the police or military and therefore likely trained. Reports state that the group was armed with automatic weapons. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | Khan was the head of the death squad branch he initiated, while the other one was linked more directly to members of the government, with reports of significant involvement of Gajraj (Minister of Home Affairs at the time), who was found to be the group’s co-leader. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.