Pro-Government Militias
Front for the Liberation of the Greater West (Cote d'Ivoire)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 45 |
| Country: | Cote d'Ivoire |
| Date formed: | Oct. 29, 2004 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | The militia evolved in 2004 from self-defense groups in the West that formed against rebel attacks. |
| Date dissolved: | April 11, 2011 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | President Gbagbo lost elections on 28 November, 2010 ans was arrested on 11 April 2011. President Ouattara from the former opposition assumed office after election-related crisis in May 2011. PGM members were said to have laid down their weapons after the Ouagadougou Political Agreement in March 2007 and were dismantled in November 2008. But there were reports on attacks by them until 2011, when Gbagbo was captured and imprisoned, so it seems as if he might have maintained the connection. |
| 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? | no information |
| 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?: | unclear | Main Creating Government Institution: | no information |
| Government Link(s): | person/minister; sub-national government |
| If link to party, name of party: | None |
| Training and Equipment: | unclear |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | unclear |
| Shared Personnel: | unclear |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | no information |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | ethnic; mercenary; children |
| Primary Membership: | ethnic |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Guiglo, Logouale, Western Ivory Coast, Plateu, Toulepleu |
| Force Strength: | [204, 10000] |
| Target(s): | rebels, insurgents, or other armed group; ethnic group |
| Purpose(s): | self-defense and security; intimidation of ethnic/religious groups; intimidate political opposition |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | Northerners (Mande and Voltaic/Gur) (Cote d'Ivoire) |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | inferred |
| Ethnic Membership: | Kru (Cote d'Ivoire) |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | inferred |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: | Seemingly synonymous or very closely linked with Resistance Forces of the Grand West, Ivorian Movement for the Liberation of the West of Cote d'Ivoire (no more information on these); ethnic membership inferred from close link of the leader to Gbagbo; ethnic target inferred from rebels they are fighting. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The PGM developed as a self-defense group in the West of the country and attacked rebel forces and political opposition that acted against former President Gbagbo. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | unknown |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | No information. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | unknown |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | unclear |
| PGM Members Paid? | unclear |
| Reasons for Membership: | Liberian refugees and child soldiers from Liberia’s civil war were recruited to fight. |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: | A special unit of the Front is reported to have 204 members, while the total militia had 10,000 members |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | During a disarmament ceremony in 2007, more than 1,200 weapons were confiscated. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The leader of the PGM was a member of the central committee of the Front Patriotic Ivorien and closely allied to the mayor of Guiglo. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.