Pro-Government Militias

Pro-Government Militia Website

Revolutionary Guards (Libya)

Basic Group Information

Name assigned by coder: no
PGM ID Number: 54
Country: Libya
Date formed: Jan. 1, 1980
    Accuracy of date formed: decade
Details of Formation: According to one source revolutionary guards participated in Gaddafi’s coup in 1969; it is not clear, however, if these refer to the Revolutionary Guards coded here. Other sources mention that the group was formed in the early 1980s though they do not say explicitly by whom. Again other sources say that the group emerged from revolutionary committees, but it is not clear if these committees refer to the PGM with that name.
Date dissolved: Aug. 23, 2011
    Accuracy of date dissolved: day
Details of Termination: The group was loyal to Gaddafi. It is therefore coded as terminated the day the NTC was recognized as government in August 2011. The NTC banned members of the Revolutionary Guards from holding public office (Human Rights Watch 2012).
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? unclear
    Former Armed Group? unclear
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: semi-official (type 2)
Created by the Government?: unclear
    Main Creating Government Institution: person/minister
Government Link(s): person/minister; military (institution)
    If link to party, name of party: None
Training and Equipment: yes
Shared Information and Joint Operations: yes
Shared Personnel: unclear
Type(s) of Material Support: domestic government
State Sponsor(s): none
Other Connection(s):

Group Characteristics

Membership: ethnic; adolescents
Primary Membership: ethnic
Alternative Primary Membership: no information
Location: None
Force Strength: [1000, 3000]
Target(s): unarmed political opposition, government critics; regular military force
Purpose(s): protect state, national or religious leader(s)

Ethnic Characteristics

Ethnic Target(s): none
    Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: not applicable
Ethnic Membership: Arabs (Libya)
    Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: inferred
Ethnic Purpose: none
    Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: not applicable

Other Information

Other Information: The Revolutionary Guards are also known as Jamahiriyyah Guard (Wikipedia). Ethnic membership inferred from leader.

New Variables from Meta-Analysis

Purpose

Purpose: The main purpose of the Revolutionary Guard was to protect Gaddafi and his regime (Wikipedia). Other related purposes were to check the army and to subdue the Libyan population. The Revolutionary Guard fulfilled this purpose in 1985, when they played a significant role in blocking the military coup against Gaddafi (Wikipedia).
Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use coup-proofing

Treatment of Civilians

Treatment of Civilians: In 2011, the Revolutionary Guard fired on peaceful protesters at least on two occasions (Human Rights Watch April 2011a and 2011b). They acted on Gaddafi’s official order to go out and kill everyone that he didn’t want on the street.
Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: killing

Reasons for Membership

PGM Members Coerced? no
PGM Members Paid? no
Reasons for Membership: Members were hand-picked from Gaddafi’s tribal group (Wikipedia). They were volunteers who did not receive any salary.
PGM Members Killed? no information

PGM Size

Size: A news source of 1986 estimates 1,000-2,000 young Libyans to be members of the Revolutionary Guards. Wikipedia reports 3,000 members (Wikipedia).

Weapons and Training

Weapons and Training: A news source of 1986 says the group had paramilitary training, but had only light weapons. In 1999, a news source reports that they had machine guns. Wikipedia describes them as well armed and being provided T-54 and T-62 tanks, APCs, MRLs, SA-8 SAMs and ZSU-23-4 anti-aircraft guns from the army inventory. The Revolutionary Guards controlled the ammunition stockpiles at the main military based, dispensing the ammunition in small quantities according to the need of the regular forces (Wikipedia)

Organisation

Organisation: The Revolutionary Guards became entrenched within the army after the early 1980s. As of 2005, their leader was Hasan al-Kabir al-Gaddafi, a cousin of the Libyan leader Gaddafi (Wikipedia). The Revolutionary Guards were the top of a structure built up by Colonel Gaddafi to protect himself.

Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis

Human Rights Watch. 2011. “Libya: 10 Protesters Apparently Executed.” https://www.hrw.org/news/2011/08/18/libya-10-protesters-apparently-executed

Human Rights Watch. 2011. “Libya: Security Forces Kill 84 Over Three Days.” https://www.hrw.org/news/2011/02/18/libya-security-forces-kill-84-over-three-days

Human Rights Watch. 2011. “Libya: Amend Vetting Regulations for Candidates, Officials.” https://www.hrw.org/news/2012/04/28/libya-amend-vetting-regulations-candidates-officials

Wikipedia. “Revolutionary Guard Corps”. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Revolutionary_Guard_Corps&oldid=917639220

Evidence