Pro-Government Militias
Anti-Terrorist Unit (Liberia)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 35 |
| Country: | Liberia |
| Date formed: | Jan. 1, 1997 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | The group as an official elite security force existed during Samuel Doe's time (until the rebellion of 1989). It was established by Charles Taylor in 1997 after he was elected President as an elite special force for the government and drew its membership from former National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) fighters as well as foreign combatants from Burkina Faso, The Gambia and Sierra Leone. |
| Date dissolved: | Aug. 11, 2003 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | Group ceased to be pro-government with the resignation of Taylor in August 2003. It was dissolved by the National Transitional Government of Liberia in 2003 and disarmed by the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) in 2004. |
| Termination Type(s): | change in government |
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: | person/minister |
| Government Link(s): | person/minister |
| If link to party, name of party: | None |
| Training and Equipment: | yes |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | no information |
| Shared Personnel: | no information |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | plunder and loot |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | former rebels; children |
| Primary Membership: | noncivilian |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Camp Gbatala, Lofa County, Central Liberia |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, 800] |
| Target(s): | civilians |
| Purpose(s): | protect state, national or religious leader(s); 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: | The Anti-Terrorist Unit (Liberia) is also known as Demon Forces. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The government stated that the ATU would fight terrorism, protect government buildings, the international airport and foreign embassies. But the group has been described as a private security force of Taylor. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | unknown |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | The ATU has been involved in a variety of crimes against civilians, including theft, looting, killings, beating, torture, abusing and detaining protesters, systematic rape, burning down towns and villages and recruiting child soldiers. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | killing; beating; torture; sexual violence |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | yes |
| PGM Members Paid? | unclear |
| Reasons for Membership: | Members were able to benefit from looting the local population for compensation. Loyalty to President Taylor from former NPFL fighters may also have been a reason for becoming a member. Members may have been paid little or nothing at all. One source reports that they were paid directly by Taylor and not by the government. |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | The ATU was armed by the government. Its members, some of which already had experience from their activities in the NPFL, were trained by South African mercenaries in a military camp created by Taylor. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | Taylor’s son, Chuckie Taylor, rather than the Ministry of Defense, temporarily commanded the ATU. The ATU had close ties to the president, some reports stating that the group constituted his private security guards. It was considered an elite paramilitary force of the government. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.