Pro-Government Militias
Sootoro (Syriac Protection Office) (Syria)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 532 |
| Country: | Syria |
| Date formed: | Dec. 1, 2013 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | month |
| Details of Formation: | Sootoro had its beginnings in the Sutoro militia. This was a militia set up by the Syriac Union Party (SUP) in 2012. In Qamishli, the Sutoro took commands from a peace committee that also included other Syriac organizations. In this city, Sutoro members were fighting in one militia, despite some approving of and others rejecting the Syrian government. As Sutoro faced the same enemy as the government, radical Islamist groups, they did not fight the government in order to focus only on the imminent threat of Islamists. In December 2013, the Qamishli Sutoro became pro-government and declared that it split from the SUP-related Sutoro. The pro-government unit then became known as Sootoro, while the anti-government units remain known as Sutoro. |
| 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? | yes |
| Former Armed Group? | yes |
| Former Rebel Group? | unclear |
| 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): | military (institution) |
| If link to party, name of party: | None |
| Training and Equipment: | no |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | no |
| Shared Personnel: | no |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | no information |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | ethnic; religious |
| Primary Membership: | religious |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Qamishli |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, unknown] |
| Target(s): | rebels, insurgents, or other armed group |
| Purpose(s): | self-defense and security; fight insurgents |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Membership: | Christians (Syria) |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | given |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: | The regime loyalists were members of the Sutoro branch in Qamishli and made the branch become Sootoro, the pro-government militia. The loyalists are affiliated with the Civil Peace Committee for Syriac Orthodox in Qamishli. Sootoro is also known as the Syriac Protection Office. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The main purpose of Sootoro is to defend itself and the community against (Islamist) insurgents. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | unknown |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | Sootoro declares that it wants to protect Christians, regardless of which sect they belong to. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | unknown |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no information |
| PGM Members Paid? | no information |
| Reasons for Membership: | Most members are part of the Sootoro (or earlier the Sutoro) in order to protect themselves from harm in an environment characterized by insecurity. Political aims were (at least when it was still Sutoro) only of minor importance. |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: |
Organisation
| Organisation: | Sootoro belongs to the regime’s security apparatus in Qamishli, alongside the Arab Tey tribe’s militia. It does not have any links to the SUP anymore, as SUP members left the party when the group became Sootoro. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.