Pro-Government Militias
Libya Revolutionaries' Operations Room (LROR) (Libya)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 605 |
| Country: | Libya |
| Date formed: | May 1, 2013 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | month |
| Details of Formation: | The LROR was created in 2013 by Nouri Abusahmain, then GNC president. He formed the group by uniting existing militias under his command (Wikipedia). It was established as headquarter for the Libya Shield, an alliance of pro-GNC militias. |
| Date dissolved: | Aug. 4, 2014 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | LROR supported the GNC and did not change affiliation to the HoR after change in government. It ends as a PGM on 4 August 2014. It is a member of the Libya Dawn coalition, which nominated an alternative prime minister to constitute a rival government (Human Rights Watch 2014). The LROR was heavily involved in the Second Libyan Civil war and was declared a terrorist organisation by the Libyan parliament (Wikipedia). |
| 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: | semi-official (type 2) |
| Created by the Government?: | no | Main Creating Government Institution: | none |
| Government Link(s): | political party; state (institution) |
| If link to party, name of party: | Justice and Construction Party |
| Training and Equipment: | unclear |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | no information |
| Shared Personnel: | unclear |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | no information |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | ethnic; religious; security forces |
| Primary Membership: | political |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Tripoli, Benghazi |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, unknown] |
| Target(s): | unarmed political opposition, government critics; rebels, insurgents, or other armed group; other pro-government militias |
| Purpose(s): | protect state, national or religious institutions; intimidate political opposition; fight insurgents |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Membership: | Toubou (Libya) |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | given |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: | In October 2013, LROR attempted an Islamist coup against Prime Minister Ali Zeidan. This is not coded as an anti-government action, because according to Archigos, the head of state was Abusahmain. Abusahmain protected the LROR from investigations and discarded attempts to ban them after the coup (Wikipedia). The LROR has strong affiliations with the Muslim Brotherhood’s Justice and Construction Party. Ethnic membership refers to Toubou and Amazigh. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | LROR’s official task was to keep order in Tripoli (Wikipedia) and protect that city. It sees its purpose as safeguarding the gains of the 2011 uprising. A report suggests that the purpose upon foundation was to pass the Political Isolation Law and to oust the Prime Minister Ali Zeidan from power. |
| 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? | yes |
| Reasons for Membership: | LROR pays higher salaries and thereby attracts recruits from the police force. |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The group was loyal to Nouri Abusahmain (then GNC president). Since November 2013, it was officially led by the General Chief of Staff of the Libyan Armed Forces. It has a GNC mandate to provide security for Tripoli. Nouri Abusahmain allegedly misappropriated around US $720 million for the benefit of the LROR (Wikipedia). It allegedly incorporated entire security units from both the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Defense. It included members from the 17 February Brigade (PGM) and the Raf’allah al-Sahati (PGM). All these groups are also affiliated to the LSF (Libyan Shield Force). |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.