Pro-Government Militias
Young Communist League (Nepal)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 462 |
| Country: | Nepal |
| Date formed: | Aug. 18, 2008 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | day |
| Details of Formation: | The Maoists' youth wing became a pro-government militia following the Maoists surprise success in the April 2008 elections and then joined the government in August 2008. It became again a PGM in August 2011 after having been not pro-government since May 2009. |
| Date dissolved: | March 14, 2013 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | The group was first terminated 25 May 2009 with the collapse of the Maoist government, the second termination in March 2013 is due to government being dissolved. |
| 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? | unclear |
| Former Rebel Group? | yes |
| Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: | 258 |
| PGM Becomes Rebel Group? | no information |
| Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
Government Relation, Support, and Training
| Government Relation: | semi-official (type 2) |
| Created by the Government?: | no | Main Creating Government Institution: | none |
| Government Link(s): | political party |
| If link to party, name of party: | Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) |
| Training and Equipment: | yes |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | unclear |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | domestic government; self-maintained |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | ideology; adolescents; former rebels; party activists |
| Primary Membership: | political |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | ideological |
| Location: | north and center |
| Force Strength: | [3500, 500000] |
| Target(s): | civilians; immigrants; unarmed political opposition, government critics; other pro-government militias; journalists |
| Purpose(s): | protect property and investment; intelligence gathering; intimidate political opposition |
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 group is first coded as a PGM with the Maoist becoming the government on 18 August 2008 and ends on 25 May 2009 with the collapse of that government. It is then again a PGM when the Maoist party joins the government on 29 August 2011 and is dissolved on 14 March 2013 (on 26 July 2012 there was a treaty indicating the Maoist's intention to disband the group, but there is evidence of armed activity less than one year later) (see database Archigos on dates for government changes). The group was involved in multiple clashes with the Youth Force. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The group was tasked with maintaining public security during sensitive times (e.g. preventing theft and securing buildings). Prior to becoming pro-government it was used for party work and to increase popular support for the Maoist party. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | unknown |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | The group was responsible for killings, abductions, attacks on and assault of civilians, arrested civilians and intimidated the population. According to the UCPN (Maoist) it was to be used to protect the population, but it is not clear how effectively this was implemented in practice. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | kidnapping/abductions; beating |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no information |
| PGM Members Paid? | no information |
| Reasons for Membership: | |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: | The group reportedly started with 3,500 combatants in 2005, which later expanded to 500,000 according to self-reports by the YCL in 2012. |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | News sources indicate that members were armed with knives, iron rods, batons, stones and pistols. For the region Bardiya it is reported that training was provided by the UCPN (Maoist). There is no information on the systematic provision of training and arms to the group by the government. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The group was controlled by the UCPN (Maoist) party and collaborated with the police in order to maintain law and order. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.