Pro-Government Militias
Aubevillois (Congo Brazzaville)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 59 |
| Country: | Congo Brazzaville |
| Date formed: | Jan. 1, 1992 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | The militia was created as the Presidential Guard by President Lissouba in 1992 when tensions in Brazzaville’s Bakongo neighborhood arose. In 1993, the group was renamed Aubevillois. |
| Date dissolved: | Oct. 24, 1997 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | month |
| Details of Termination: | Militiamen revolted multiple times because they demanded full integration into the regular army. This led to a confrontation with the armed forces. In 1994, all Congolese parties agreed to disband their militias in a peace accord. Nonetheless, the Aubevillois militia continued to exist as a PGM until Lissouba’s loss of power in 1997. |
| 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? | no |
| Former Armed Group? | no |
| Former Rebel Group? | no |
| 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?: | yes | Main Creating Government Institution: | person/minister |
| Government Link(s): | person/minister; political party |
| If link to party, name of party: | Pan-African Union for Social Democracy |
| Training and Equipment: | no information |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | no information |
| Shared Personnel: | no information |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | domestic government; foreign support |
| State Sponsor(s): | South Africa; Israel |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | ethnic; security forces; ex soldiers; party activists |
| Primary Membership: | ethnic |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Brazzaville |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, 500] |
| Target(s): | unarmed political opposition, government critics; rebels, insurgents, or other armed group; ethnic group |
| Purpose(s): | protect state, national or religious institutions; protect state, national or religious leader(s) |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | Mbochi (proper) (Congo); Lari/Bakongo (Congo) |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | inferred |
| Ethnic Membership: | Nibolek (Bembe etc.) (Congo) |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | inferred |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: | As the Aubevillois were set up by Lissouba, they are coded as Nibolek targeting his opponents' groups (Lari/Bakongo, Mbochi). |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The militia was created to target Bakongo people in Brazzaville and to target political opposition from the PCT and the MCDDI. Many people of Bakongo and Lari ethnicity feared the Aubevillois due to their frequent attacks against Bakongos and Laris. In addition, the Aubevillois was supposed to provide protection for UPADS politicians. (Themnér 2011, 71) |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | coup-proofing |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | The militia targeted people of Lari ethnicity and political opposition. One source reported that in 1993 the militia had killed 2,000 people while displacing many more. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | killing |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no information |
| PGM Members Paid? | yes |
| Reasons for Membership: | Members joined for economic benefits and due to their ethnic loyalty. (Themnér 2011, 71) |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: | The militia had about 500 members. Former President Lissouba planned to expand the group to up to 2,000 men. |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | Militia members received training at the Military and Development Training Center in addition to supervision by Israeli reserve officers. Aubevillois received weapons from South Africa. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | Aubevillois was described as former President Lissouba’s personal militia. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.