Pro-Government Militias
African Rainforest and Rivers Conservation (Central African Republic)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 375 |
| Country: | Central African Republic |
| Date formed: | Jan. 1, 2001 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | The group was set up by the American family physician Bruce Hayse in 2001 when he obtained permission from C.A.R. President Ange-Felix Patasse to raise, arm and train a militia in the Chinko basin. |
| Date dissolved: | March 17, 2003 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | year |
| Details of Termination: | President Patasse was overthrown in a coup in March 2003. This date is used as the end of the PGM, which has not mentioned again after the coup. |
| 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? | NA |
| Former Rebel Group? | NA |
| 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?: | no | Main Creating Government Institution: | none |
| Government Link(s): | person/minister |
| If link to party, name of party: | |
| Training and Equipment: | no |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | no information |
| Shared Personnel: | no information |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | self-maintained |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | village/rural; ex soldiers |
| Primary Membership: | local |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Chinko River Basin |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, 400] |
| Target(s): | criminals; foreigners |
| Purpose(s): | protect property and investment |
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 “property” in the purpose category “protect property and investment” refers to wildlife. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The African Rainforest and Rivers Conservation was supposed to fight brutal (often Sudanese) poachers to save the remains of the country’s wildlife and protect villages from the gangs of poachers. The President benefitted from this approach as he could not afford to move any soldiers to the east and patrol the borders. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | cheaper mobilization |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | This PGM tried to defend civilians against brutal poachers who were beating, raping, murdering and abducting civilians in remote villages. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | unknown |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no |
| PGM Members Paid? | unclear |
| Reasons for Membership: | Some members were recruited from villages that had been terrorized by poachers. |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: | A news source from December 2002 speaks of a 400-person militia of the African Rainforest and Rivers Conservation. |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | The group was armed and trained by American conservationists. They are trained in guerilla warfare tactics. The financial sources the group has access to are not enough to fully arm the militia and to support the patrols with rations and other necessities. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The group is led by Bruce Hayse, who, alongside other American conservationists, spent up to $250,000 on the group. Hayse obtained a written permission from President Ange-Felix Patasse, who ceded him the authority over the entire Chinko River basin. The Americans recruited Dave Bryant as commando; Bryant was a former South African soldier with Special Forces training and experience in hunting poachers. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.