Pro-Government Militias
Islamic Pan African Brigade (Libya)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 593 |
| Country: | Libya |
| Date formed: | Jan. 1, 2001 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | This PGM was created after 2000, recreating the idea of the Islamic Legion, a pan-Arab force that had been established 1972 and which had been active in other African countries. |
| Date dissolved: | Aug. 23, 2011 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | The Islamic Pan African Brigade was loyal to Gaddafi; it is therefore coded as terminated when the National Transitional Council took over the government on 23 August 2011. |
| 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 |
| If link to party, name of party: | None |
| Training and Equipment: | yes |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | yes |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | domestic government |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | ethnic; mercenary; foreign nationals |
| Primary Membership: | other |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Benghazi, Al-Bayda, Darnah, Misurata, Sabratha |
| Force Strength: | [2500, 4000] |
| Target(s): | civilians; unarmed political opposition, government critics |
| Purpose(s): | intimidate political opposition |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Membership: | Tuareg (Libya) |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | given |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: | Members of this group were mainly foreigners. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | Gaddafi used the Islamic Pan African Brigade to fight protesters and rebels during the Arab Spring. It might be a lower-structure element of Gaddafi’s strategic paramilitary force designed to check the army and subdue the population. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | coup-proofing |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | The Islamic Pan African Brigade killed protesters, including women and children. Gunning down protesters was their purpose as given by Gaddafi. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | killing |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no information |
| PGM Members Paid? | yes |
| Reasons for Membership: | Members were sub-Saharan Africans who had come to Libya in order to find work or who came as refugees. There were also Touareg members, which had been recruited in a similar situation in the 1970s and 1980s, serving then in the previous Islamic Pan African Brigade/Islamic Legion. They were later integrated into the Libyan army and used again from the 2000s on as members of the new Islamic Pan African Brigade. Members were paid up to 20,000 pound per head or 1,000$ a day. |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: | A news source from February 2011 estimates the group has about 2,500 mercenaries; while a news source from March 2011 estimates that there are between 3,000 to 4,000 foreign mercenaries. |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | Members are armed with machine guns, high-velocity sniper rifles and anti-aircraft missiles. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The foreign mercenaries that are member of the Islamic Pan African Brigade are “shipped in” by the Libyan authorities. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.