Pro-Government Militias
Mahidi (Indonesia)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 338 |
| Country: | Indonesia |
| Date formed: | Dec. 15, 1998 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | month |
| Details of Formation: | The original idea was to set up an unarmed militia to provide security for the parliamentary election in the upcoming year. However, it turned out that the group was formed by the military to allegedly defend villages from guerrillas. It is unclear if Mahidi was armed from the beginning but it was definitely armed by the end of December 1999. It was used as a pro-integration militia that received training and weapons from the army. |
| Date dissolved: | Dec. 15, 1999 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | month |
| Details of Termination: | Mahidi was officially terminated by the army in December 1999, but it continued to be active in the West Timor refugee camps (It is unclear if the group was then still armed and it was no longer with the military). In November 2000 the group returns to East Timor to be 'reconciled' with the new East Timor leadership. The PGM subsequently discloses the names of military officials who ordered the violence. |
| 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? | 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: | informal (type 1) |
| Created by the Government?: | yes | Main Creating Government Institution: | military |
| Government Link(s): | military (institution) |
| If link to party, name of party: | None |
| 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: | ideology; village/rural; adolescents |
| Primary Membership: | local |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | nationalist |
| Location: | Ainaro (East Timor), Zumalai (Covalima district), Maubara |
| Force Strength: | [1000, 7000] |
| Target(s): | civilians; unarmed political opposition, government critics; students |
| Purpose(s): | protect national borders and integrity; intimidation of ethnic/religious groups; intimidation of civilians |
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: | East Timorese (Indonesia) |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | given |
Other Information
| Other Information: | While one source claims that the group has over 7000 members, the actual number appears to be much lower. Most sources refer to a size of around 2000 members. Apparently, the group’s members also took drugs before committing violence. The militia’s name means “Live or Die with Indonesia”/“Dead or Alive for Integration”/”Dead or Alive”/”Live or Die for Integration”. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The pro-integration group was used to perpetrate attacks on independence supporters and officially to provide security in the parliamentary elections in June 1999 and for defence against guerilla attacks. It also controlled East Timorese refugees. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | unknown |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | The group was involved in a church massacre of civilians in Suai on 6 September 1999, which resulted in the deaths of 27 to 200 people, as well as other attacks on civilians, causing them to flee from their homes. Civilians were killed as targets and collateral damage in anti-independence operations by the group. The PGM detained and coerced people, killing them if they did not comply with their demands, and forced them to go to West Timor. It burned down homes and controlled refugees. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | killing |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no |
| PGM Members Paid? | no information |
| Reasons for Membership: | One member reports that they joined because other youth became members as well. |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: | When it was formed in December 1998 the group had about 1,000 to 2,000 members. Later sources report that the group claimed to have had 7,000 members in July 1999. |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | The group was armed by the military with guns and M-16 automatic rifles. It was also trained by the military. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The group had links to the military and cooperated with it in operations. There were also financial and material links to the army’s special forces, Kopassus. It was led by Cancio Lopes de Carvalho. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.