Pro-Government Militias
Al-Zintan Revolutionaries' Military Council (Libya)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 595 |
| Country: | Libya |
| Date formed: | Aug. 23, 2011 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | The group was formed in May 2011 to coordinate 23 militias in Zintan and the Nafusa mountains in their efforts against Gaddafi (Wikipedia). By the end of the uprising, Zintan surged into Tripoli. It became pro-government with the fall of Gaddafi in August 2011. It was loyal to the NTC and to GNC under Ali Zeidan. |
| Date dissolved: | Unknown |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | year |
| Details of Termination: | The power of the group diminished after Ali Zaydan was ousted in March 2014 and further when it lost control of the Tripoli Airport in July 2014. It then joined Haftar’s Operation Dignity. During mid-2014, Haftar is considered anti-government, so this PGM is coded as anti-government from the moment it joined Haftar. It later supported the HoR government (UCDP Libya Government). The group is therefore coded as interrupted between 2014-07-01 and 2014-08-04, when the HoR government took over. |
| 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? | yes |
| Former Armed Group? | yes |
| Former Rebel Group? | yes |
| Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: | 2472, 5940 |
| PGM Becomes Rebel Group? | yes |
| Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: | 2472, 5940 |
Government Relation, Support, and Training
| Government Relation: | informal (type 1) |
| Created by the Government?: | no | Main Creating Government Institution: | none |
| 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: | unclear |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | foreign support |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | ethnic; ideology; security forces |
| Primary Membership: | political |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | local |
| Location: | Nafusa Mountains & Zintan in western Libya, Tripoli |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, unknown] |
| Target(s): | rebels, insurgents, or other armed group; other pro-government militias |
| Purpose(s): | protect state, national or religious institutions |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Membership: | Arabs (Libya) |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | given |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: | The group is considered politically moderate/liberal (Wikipedia). They hold control over the international airport in Tripoli after 2011. It frequently clashed with other city militias. It was pro-government from 2011-08-23 -- 2014-07-01, and again from 2014-08-04. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | unknown |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | unknown |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no information |
| PGM Members Paid? | no information |
| Reasons for Membership: | |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | The group is equipped with artillery and armoured cars, and wear army-style uniforms. They received weapons from abroad via the Tripoli international airport that they controlled. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The Zintan Brigades are allied to the Libyan National Army. One of its leaders served as defense minister from November 2011 to November 2012 (Osama al-Juwali). Now it is led by Mukhtar Kalifah Shahub, a former Libyan navy officer (Wikipedia). The Al-Zintan Revolutionaries’ Military Council is an umbrella organisation for 23 militias, and has five brigades. The Council enjoys extensive power due to its control over the Tripoli international airport and its capture of Sayf al-Islam Qadhafi. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.