Pro-Government Militias
Macedonian Lions (Macedonia)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 352 |
| Country: | Macedonia |
| Date formed: | June 25, 2001 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | The Lions were set up by the Interior Ministry during an armed insurgency in 2001 by ethnic Albanians (Amnesty International). Main actors in building up the group were Prime Minister Ljubco Georgevski and Interior Minister Ljube Boskovski. |
| Date dissolved: | June 23, 2003 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | Disbanding began in 2002 after Macedonian VMRO-DPMNE was replaced by a coalition government led by the Social Democratic Alliance of Macedonia (SDSM) and the Democratic Union for Integration (BDI). Transformation of the unit was not completed until 2003 with many former members integrated into the legalised security structures. |
| 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: | other |
| Government Link(s): | person/minister; state (institution) |
| If link to party, name of party: | |
| Training and Equipment: | yes |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | unclear |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | unclear |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): | Reportedly had contact with former chief of the Serbian Red Berets, Milord Lukovic a.k.a Legija |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | ethnic |
| Primary Membership: | ethnic |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Skopje, rebel held areas, Gostivar, Ljubotno |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, 3000] |
| Target(s): | civilians; rebels, insurgents, or other armed group; ethnic group; religious group |
| Purpose(s): | intimidation of ethnic/religious groups |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | Albanians (Macedonia) |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | given |
| Ethnic Membership: | Macedonians (Macedonia) |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | given |
| Ethnic Purpose: | Albanians (Macedonia) |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | given |
Other Information
| Other Information: | The group is also known as Paramilitary 2000 |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The group’s purpose was to defend ethnic Macedonian Orthodox against perceived threats from ethnic Albanians (Amnesty International). They were also used to fight Albanian rebels. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | unknown |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | The Lions are supposed to defend ethnic Macedonians against ethnic Albanians. In 2002, they beat and threatened two Muslim Macedonian civilians. After the victims filed a complaint at the police office, no serious investigations ensued and cover-up intents from the police and the Interior Ministry followed. Over time, ill-treatments of ethnic Albanians and Roma by Lion members increased. In one reported occasion, the Lions entered a village and opened fire against the Mosque and other buildings (Amnesty International). |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | beating |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no information |
| PGM Members Paid? | yes |
| Reasons for Membership: | |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: | A news source of 2002 mentions 3,000 Lions members. |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | The Lions were armed with knives and guns, such as Kalashnikovs (Amnesty International). They were armed by the Ministry of Interior and received training at the Center for Strategic Studies on the outskirts of Skopje. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The Lions were linked to Interior Minister Ljube Boskovski. They allegedly were loyal to him alone. Lion members were employed by the state. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.