Pro-Government Militias
People's Defence Organization (ODP) (Angola)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 49 |
| Country: | Angola |
| Date formed: | April 14, 1981 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | First mentioned in April 1981, when ODP leader travels to Hungary and other Soviet states to exchange experiences with people's militias. |
| Date dissolved: | Sept. 17, 1985 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | The People's Defense Organization is replaced by the Directorate of People's Defence and Territorial Troops. |
| Termination Type(s): | government defects |
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): | person/minister |
| If link to party, name of party: | MPLA [Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola] |
| Training and Equipment: | no information |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | no information |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | domestic government |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | no information |
| Primary Membership: | no information |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Bie Province, Benguela Province |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, unknown] |
| Target(s): | rebels, insurgents, or other armed group |
| Purpose(s): | protect national borders and integrity |
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 also known as Popular Defense Organization. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The ODP was founded as a militia to defend Angola’s territorial integrity and the power of the MLPA government. |
| 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: | |
| PGM Members Killed? | rarely |
PGM Size
| Size: |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The commander of the People’s Defence Organization was Lt-Col Paiva Domingos da Silva, who was Deputy Defence Minister at that time. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.