Pro-Government Militias
Al-Sa'iqa Brigade (Libya)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 602 |
| Country: | Libya |
| Date formed: | Jan. 1, 2013 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | Al-Saiqa existed as a Gaddafi elite force, but was among the first to join the rebel forces during the 2011 uprising. After the NTC took over, its commander declined from undertaking policing activities. It is coded as PGM from 2013 on because in the summer of that year it was used to support police that was unable of controlling violence and quell the fighting. |
| Date dissolved: | May 1, 2014 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | month |
| Details of Termination: | The group became anti-government in May 2014 when it joined General Haftar, who led a militarized campaign against Islamists with the aim of pressing the GNC to hold elections. There is no news source information whether the Al-Sa’iqa Brigade can be considered as pro-government with the ensuing House of Representative government, which had connections to Haftar. |
| Termination Type(s): | PGM defects |
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: | none |
| PGM Becomes Rebel Group? | yes |
| Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
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: | unclear |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | no information |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | unclear |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | ethnic; ex soldiers |
| Primary Membership: | noncivilian |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Benghazi |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, 5000] |
| Target(s): | rebels, insurgents, or other armed group |
| Purpose(s): | protect state, national or religious institutions; fight insurgents |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Membership: | Arabs (Libya) |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | inferred |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: | The Al-Sa’iqa Brigade is also known as Libyan Special Forces. It is formed from paratroopers, paramilitary forces and commandos (Wikipedia). Membership is tribal affiliated, and the majority are from of the Ubayadat, Awaqir and Baraghita tribes. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The group was mobilized in order to control growing disorder (Wikipedia) because regular police had proven incapable of controlling the situation. |
| 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? | sometimes |
PGM Size
| Size: | The group had around 5000 members (Wikipedia). |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The Al-Sa’iqa Brigade reports to the Ministry of Defence. In 2013, its commander was Colonel Wanes Abu Khamadh (Wikipedia). He became the military governor of Benghazi in 2013 tasked with coordinating government agencies and armed groups. He also had the support of major tribes that pledged allegiance to him in early 2014. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.