Pro-Government Militias

Pro-Government Militia Website

Student Federation of Cote d'Ivoire (FESCI) (Cote d'Ivoire)

Basic Group Information

Name assigned by coder: no
PGM ID Number: 457
Country: Cote d'Ivoire
Date formed: Jan. 1, 2000
    Accuracy of date formed: year
Details of Formation: The group was created in the 1990s as an unarmed student union to improve living conditions for university students. It was banned by the Bédié government. Starting in 2000 with the Gbagbo government, the militia was supported by the Ivorian government and was used to suppress political opposition. (Wikipedia)
Date dissolved: April 11, 2011
    Accuracy of date dissolved: day
Details of Termination: After the arrest of former President Gbagbo and the installment of the Ouattara government in 2011, the organization ceases to be a pro-government militia. There is no information on disarmament of militia members and the group’s termination.
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? yes
    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?: no
    Main Creating Government Institution: none
Government Link(s): person/minister; political party
    If link to party, name of party: Ivoirian Popular Front (FPI)
Training and Equipment: yes
Shared Information and Joint Operations: yes
Shared Personnel: unclear
Type(s) of Material Support: domestic government; plunder and loot
State Sponsor(s): none
Other Connection(s):

Group Characteristics

Membership: adolescents; students
Primary Membership: political
Alternative Primary Membership: no information
Location: Abidjan
Force Strength: [unknown, unknown]
Target(s): civilians; unarmed political opposition, government critics; rebels, insurgents, or other armed group; ethnic group; other pro-government militias; journalists; students
Purpose(s): intimidation of civilians; 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: 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: FESCI was used by the government to curb opposition among students and university staff. In 2006, they attacked a television station that had broadcast a statement by the teachers’ union announcing the boycott of examinations.
Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use unknown

Treatment of Civilians

Treatment of Civilians: The militia used violence indiscriminately against political opposition among students and university staff and also assaulted other civilians who were not classified as political opposition.
Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: killing; torture; sexual violence

Reasons for Membership

PGM Members Coerced? no
PGM Members Paid? no information
Reasons for Membership: There is no evidence that FESCI members were coerced or paid to join the organization. FESCI was initially created as a student union to promote students’ and university staff’s interests, but it became more political when members also joined to promote a nationalist ideology. (Wikipedia)
PGM Members Killed? no information

PGM Size

Size: No information.

Weapons and Training

Weapons and Training: The militia used clubs, machetes and firearms when attacking its targets. There is no information on training.

Organisation

Organisation: Guillaume Soro, who became prime minister of Côte d’Ivoire in 2007, was Secretary-General of the organization from 1995 to 1998. Charles Blé Goudé who founded the Alliance des jeunes patriotes pour le sursaut national ("Youth Alliance for National Survival") which FESCI is aligned to, was Secretary-General from 2001 to 2003. (Wikipedia)

Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis

Wikipedia. “Student Federation of Côte d'Ivoire“
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Student_Federation_of_C%C3%B4te_d%27Ivoire

Evidence