Pro-Government Militias
Green Berets (Bosnia-Herzegovina)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 395 |
| Country: | Bosnia-Herzegovina |
| Date formed: | March 4, 1992 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | The Green Berets were founded in Sarajevo in early 1992 by demobilized soldiers and conscripts from the Yugoslav National Army (Wikipedia). A news source reports that it was formed by the Party of Democratic Action. |
| Date dissolved: | April 16, 1992 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | The newly founded Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina integrated the Green Berets in the second half of 1992 (Wikipedia). News sources mention that the Green Berets were brought under the command of the Territorial Defence Force in April and May 1992. They may still have operated with a degree of independence after that. |
| 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: | informal (type 1) |
| Created by the Government?: | yes | Main Creating Government Institution: | governing party |
| Government Link(s): | political party |
| If link to party, name of party: | Party of Democratic Action (SDA) |
| Training and Equipment: | unclear |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | no information |
| Shared Personnel: | no |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | no information |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | ethnic; religious; ex soldiers; party activists |
| Primary Membership: | religious |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Sarajevo |
| Force Strength: | [2000, 30000] |
| Target(s): | no information |
| Purpose(s): | no information |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Membership: | Bosniaks/Muslims (Bosnia and Herzegovina) |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | given |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: | The Green Berets are also known as “Zelene beretke”. They were mostly active during the war in the early part of 1992 in northern and central Bosnia (Wikipedia). |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The Green Berets were supposed to further the interests of Bosnian Muslims, by being the armed wing of the main Muslim political party during the war in 1992. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | unknown |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | unknown |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no information |
| PGM Members Paid? | no information |
| Reasons for Membership: | Members were demobilized and former soldiers who were mostly ethnic Bosniaks and supporters of Bosnian nationalism (Wikipedia). |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: | Estimations on PGM size differ widely. Wikipedia estimates a number of 3,500. One news source mentioned a minimum of 6,000 in March 1992, another source estimated 30,000 that same month. In April 1992, a news source estimated around 2,000 members in Visegrad alone. |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | The Green Berets are trained by former officers of the Yugoslav People’s Army. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The Green Berets were the armed wing of the Democratic Action Party, the main Muslim political party in Bosnia. It was nominally under the command of the Territorial Defense Force. According to Wikipedia, their commander was Emin Švrakić. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.