Pro-Government Militias
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
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.