Pro-Government Militias
National Guard (Bahrain)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 489 |
| Country: | Bahrain |
| Date formed: | Jan. 1, 1997 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | The National Guard was established in 1997 through a royal decree by Emir Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa (Wikipedia National Guard). |
| Date dissolved: | Unknown |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | |
| Termination Type(s): | not terminated |
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: | semi-official (type 2) |
| Created by the Government?: | no information | Main Creating Government Institution: | none |
| Government Link(s): | state (institution) |
| If link to party, name of party: | |
| Training and Equipment: | yes |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | no |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | domestic government; Foreign government |
| State Sponsor(s): | United Kingdom; Saudi Arabia; United Arab Emirates |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | ethnic; security forces; mercenary; ex soldiers; foreign nationals |
| Primary Membership: | no information |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Sitra, Manama, among others |
| Force Strength: | [1000, 3800] |
| Target(s): | unarmed political opposition, government critics; ethnic group; journalists |
| Purpose(s): | protect state, national or religious institutions; protect national borders and integrity; self-defense and security; intimidate political opposition |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | given |
| Ethnic Membership: | Sunni (Bahrain) |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | given |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The National Guard has two purposes, to serve as defence force against external threats and as a security force against internal threats (Wikipedia National Guard). News sources report regular operations by the National Guard against internal threats to the regime. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | unknown |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | The National Guard was involved in the government’s violent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters during the Bahreini uprising (Wikipedia National Guard). In 2000, the National Guard was accused of shooting pro-democracy demonstrators. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | unknown |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no information |
| PGM Members Paid? | yes |
| Reasons for Membership: | Members were recruited. Pakistani members were recruited from Pakistan through the Fauji Foundation (Wikipedia National Guard). Bahrainis were promised jobs in security forces. A commander of the National Guard went to Pakistan for recruitment purposes (Wikipedia Bahraini uprising). |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: | According to Wikipedia the PGM has about 2,000 members. It also mentions a total undated size of 3,800 (Wikipedia National Guard). In 2011, the US State Department estimated that there were 1,200 National Guard members, but then membership rose by about 100%. Many Pakistani were recruited, with estimates ranging between 1,500-2,500 Pakistani recruits (Wikpedia Bahraini uprising). A news source from August 2011 reports that 1,000 Pakistani forces are members of Bahrain’s National Guard. |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | A news source from 2000 reported that the UK trains members of the Bahraini security forces, including the National Guard. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The National Guard is commanded by Lieutenant-General Mohammed bin Isa Al Khalifa, brother of King hmad bin Isa Al Khalifa (Wikipedia National Guard). The National Guard is also effectively used by the Ministry of Interior. Members are under the protection of a law that stipulates strict penalty against anyone who incites or commits crimes against its members. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.