| Name assigned by coder: |
no
|
| PGM ID Number: |
56
|
| Country: |
Congo Brazzaville |
| Date formed: |
Oct. 25, 1997 |
| Details of Formation: |
General Denis Sassou Nguesso lost power in elections in 1992, and built up the cobras as a private army. He employed them in 1997 (with the support of Angolan regular forces) to oust Lissouba. Thus prior to 1997, the cobras were not a pgag but became so after Nguesso tdeclared himself president on 25 October 1997. |
| Date dissolved: |
Nov. 1, 2000 |
| Details of Termination: |
After the end of the civil war in December 1999, a UNDP/IOM programme for the "Reintegration of Ex-Combatants and Collection of Light Weapons" facilitated the exchange of weapons for civilian jobs, starting in November 2000. According to one source, more than 7.500 ex-combantants made use of this scheme. We use this as the end date of the PGAG, since there is also no evidence suggestion that the group continued to exist after that date. |
| Successor group(s): |
none
|
| Private Military Company? |
no |
| Government Relation: |
type1 |
| Government Link(s): |
person/minister
|
| Training and Equipment |
no information |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations |
yes |
| Shared personnel |
no information |
| Types of Material Support: |
Foreign government
|
| State Sponsor(s): |
Angola
|
| Other Connection(s): |
|
| Membership: |
ethnic; children
|
| Location: |
Brazzaville, Pool, Pointe Noire |
| Force Strength: |
[unknown,
10000] |
| Target(s): |
civilians; unarmed political opposition, government critics; rebels, insurgents, or other armed group; ethnic group
|
| Purpose(s): |
protect state, national or religious leader(s); protect national borders and integrity
|
| Other Information: |
to fight insurgent groups |
