Pro-Government Militias
Civil Defence Patrols (El Salvador)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 355 |
| Country: | El Salvador |
| Date formed: | Jan. 1, 1979 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | Village based civil patrols were set up by the Salvadorian army to inform on guerrilla movements in the countryside during the civil war from 1980-1992. Civilians were recruited, in some cases by means of coercion, and sometimes armed by the military. Many had been former members of Orden, a paramilitary network disbanded after the 1979 coup that brought the civil-military junta to power. |
| Date dissolved: | Jan. 16, 1992 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | The civil defence patrols were disbanded when a peace deal was signed with rebels in January 1992. Former members of the patrol were not included as beneficiaries in the peace accords adn later demanded compensation from the government for their role in helping the army during the conflict. |
| Termination Type(s): | government defects |
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 |
| 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: | military |
| Government Link(s): | state (institution); 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: | domestic government; Foreign government |
| State Sponsor(s): | United States |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | village/rural |
| Primary Membership: | local |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | villages nationwide |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, 20000] |
| Target(s): | civilians; rebels, insurgents, or other armed group |
| Purpose(s): | self-defense and security; intelligence gathering; intimidation of civilians; intimidate political opposition; fight insurgents |
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 civil defence groups were frequently linked to human rights abuses and proved increasingly unpopular in the countryside as the war went on. Efforts to expand the units were unsuccessful in the late 80s, despite the units forming a key aspect of the US-backed government's strategy to crush the leftist insurgency in El Salvador. An attempt by the ruling party Arena in 1989 to set up similar 'patriotic civil defence patrols' in the capital was halted after the Catholic Church protested and the groups were subsequently disbanded. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The Civil Defence Patrols were mainly intended to act in place of the military in order to provide security in places where the army was not present, protecting the local population from rebel groups. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | local presence |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | The Civil Defence Patrols were responsible for killings, massacres, assassinations, disappearances and torture against civilians and political officials. One massacre lead to protests by the local population against the government and military. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | unknown |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | yes |
| PGM Members Paid? | unclear |
| Reasons for Membership: | It is not clear whether or not members were paid. One news source states that members were paid (around $1 a day) while another one reports that they were only paid rarely but were allowed to collect money from the local population. |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | According to varying accounts by news reports, the Civil Defence Patrols were provided with either poor or no training by the government. The government supplied its members with weapons such as automatic rifles, as reported by one news source. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The Civil Defence Patrols were under the general command of the Army and the Defence Ministry. Based on the information available, it is unclear how the military exercised control after a particular local group was formed. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.