Pro-Government Militias
Local Defence Force (Rwanda)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 306 |
| Country: | Rwanda |
| Date formed: | April 1, 1999 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | In 1999, the government began arming civilians to form local defence units. Its members were armed by the Rwandan military. |
| Date dissolved: | May 10, 2013 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | year |
| Details of Termination: | In 2013, the government replaced the Local Defence Force with the District Administration Security Support Organ (Dasso), which is part of Rwanda’s official security apparatus. |
| Termination Type(s): | integrated into regular forces |
Former and Successor Group Information
| Predecessor group(s): | none |
| Successor group(s): | none |
| Private Military Company? | no |
| Former Group? | no |
| Former Armed Group? | no |
| Former Rebel Group? | no |
| Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
| PGM Becomes Rebel Group? | no |
| Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
Government Relation, Support, and Training
| Government Relation: | semi-official (type 2) |
| Created by the Government?: | yes | Main Creating Government Institution: | state (institution) |
| Government Link(s): | state (institution); sub-national government |
| If link to party, name of party: | |
| Training and Equipment: | yes |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | no |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | military |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | children; ex soldiers |
| Primary Membership: | local |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, 10000] |
| Target(s): | civilians; criminals; unarmed political opposition, government critics |
| Purpose(s): | protect state, national or religious institutions; self-defense and security |
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: |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The Local Defence Force was created to support the police in protecting law and order. In addition to using police forces, the militia’s members were mostly civilians or ex-soldiers which makes there mobilization easier than recruiting more police members. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | local presence |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | The militia uses excessive violence against alleged criminals. Together with the police forces, they behave violently and arrest alleged criminals without trial (Human Rights Watch 2007). |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | kidnapping/abductions; killing; beating; torture |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no information |
| PGM Members Paid? | no |
| Reasons for Membership: | Ex-soldiers were mobilized by the government to use their military experience and to join the Local Defence Force to protect their neighborhood. In addition, civilians were mobilized to protect their neighborhood. |
| PGM Members Killed? | never |
PGM Size
| Size: | One source reports that the militia had about 10,000 members. |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | The members were trained by the government because some of them were civilians without military experience. They received their arms from the Rwandan Armed Forces. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The Local Defence Force was created by the government to support the police in maintaining law and order. They act on the local level and do not have a clear national leader (Human Rights Watch 2007) |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.