Pro-Government Militias
Soldiers from my Town (Colombia)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 391 |
| Country: | Colombia |
| Date formed: | Aug. 23, 2002 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | In 2002, President Alvaro Uribe’s government reached back to a 1993 law allowing the army to recruit part-time conscripts as auxiliary police and soldiers. The main creating institution as the ministry of defense. |
| Date dissolved: | Aug. 7, 2010 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | After 2004, there is no evidence that the group continued to exist. They supposedly lost influence over the years and slowly dissolved. If they continued to exist, their link to the government should have stopped in 2010 at latest, as the newly elected president, Santos, distanced himself clearly from all paramilitary activity. |
| Termination Type(s): | unclear |
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? | 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: | state (institution) |
| Government Link(s): | person/minister; state (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 |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | village/rural; peasants |
| Primary Membership: | local |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Nationwide (rural) |
| Force Strength: | [5000, 20000] |
| Target(s): | rebels, insurgents, or other armed group; other pro-government militias |
| Purpose(s): | self-defense and security; 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: |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | Their main purpose was to fight the Marxist guerillas and right-wing paramilitaries. Their relative benefit was that they were cheaper and enjoyed more local support than troops or police. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | local support; cheaper mobilization |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | unknown |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no information |
| PGM Members Paid? | yes |
| Reasons for Membership: | The government recruited local peasants as soldiers for the program and paid them a small salary of about $17-a-month. |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: | Original plans numbered the force to around 15,000-20,000 peasant forces. By March 2003, some 5,000 had already begun to work. |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | The group was armed by the Colombian government and recruits received military training. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The recruits were paid with money raised by a 1.2% war tax. Members were subject to military regulations but continued to live at home. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.