Pro-Government Militias

Pro-Government Militia Website

Southwestern Militias (Cote d'Ivoire)

Basic Group Information

Name assigned by coder: yes
PGM ID Number: 544
Country: Cote d'Ivoire
Date formed: Jan. 1, 2005
    Accuracy of date formed: year
Details of Formation: The various groups were installed in 2005 by the government to help President Gbagbo stay in office after the first civil war.
Date dissolved: Nov. 1, 2008
    Accuracy of date dissolved: month
Details of Termination: The group was dismantled in 2008 with the Ouagadougou Accord that ended the civil war of 2002 to 2007. The National Committee for Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration promoted the group’s disintegration by attempting to reintegrate the members into the Ivorian society. Sources note that this attempt was not fully successful as the militias began to form again.
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? unclear
    Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: none

Government Relation, Support, and Training

Government Relation: semi-official (type 2)
Created by the Government?: yes
    Main Creating Government Institution: unclear
Government Link(s): person/minister
    If link to party, name of party: None
Training and Equipment: yes
Shared Information and Joint Operations: no information
Shared Personnel: no information
Type(s) of Material Support: domestic government
State Sponsor(s): none
Other Connection(s):

Group Characteristics

Membership: ideology; children
Primary Membership: no information
Alternative Primary Membership: no information
Location: South and West of Cote d’Ivoire (Abidjan, Loh-Djiboua region, Vridi)
Force Strength: [2500, 20000]
Target(s): unarmed political opposition, government critics
Purpose(s): protect state, national or religious leader(s); intimidate political opposition

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:

New Variables from Meta-Analysis

Purpose

Purpose: The Southwestern militia formed in 2005 to stabilize former President Gbagbo’s political power and to curb political opposition.
Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use unknown

Treatment of Civilians

Treatment of Civilians: No information.
Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: unknown

Reasons for Membership

PGM Members Coerced? yes
PGM Members Paid? no information
Reasons for Membership: Children were recruited as militia members, but there is no information on why members joined the group.
PGM Members Killed? no information

PGM Size

Size: The Group of Fighters for the Liberation of Cote d'Ivoire was reported to have 2,000 members, while the Southwestern militias as a whole were reported to have 20,000 members.

Weapons and Training

Weapons and Training: The southwestern militia received training and operated as part of the military.

Organisation

Organisation: The Southwestern militia consisted of multiple groups that operated in the Southwest of Côte d’Ivoire such as the Front for the Liberation of the Greater West, AP-WE, the Greater West Resistance Union, the Movement for the Liberation of Western Cote d'Ivoire and the LIMA Force, Group of Patriots for Peace, Group of Fighters for the Liberation of Cote d'Ivoire, the Anti-Terrorist Forces, MI-24 and the Rapid Intervention Force. The militias were integrated into the regular army forces.

Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis

Check PGMD for evidence.

Evidence