Pro-Government Militias
Barre Hiiraale's Militia (Somalia)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 610 |
| Country: | Somalia |
| Date formed: | Aug. 20, 2012 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | day |
| Details of Formation: | The date coded is the day when Somalia's federal government took over and the rule of the Somali Transitional Federal Government ended. Colonel Bare Hiraale, was a Minister of Defense of the TFG and a member of Parliament in the TFG. Even before the establishment of Somalia's federal government, his clan militia and the Raas Kaambooni group have persistently fought over the control and ownership of cities. Now his group is acting as an armed proxy of Somalia's federal government. |
| Date dissolved: | Unknown |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | |
| Termination Type(s): | not terminated |
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? | 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?: | no | Main Creating Government Institution: | none |
| Government Link(s): | state (institution) |
| If link to party, name of party: | None |
| Training and Equipment: | no |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | no |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | no information |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | ethnic |
| Primary Membership: | ethnic |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Kismaayo, Goweyn, Goof-gaduud |
| Force Strength: | [500, unknown] |
| Target(s): | rebels, insurgents, or other armed group; other pro-government militias |
| Purpose(s): | protect national borders and integrity |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Membership: | Somali (Somalia) |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | given |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: | Barre Hirale’s militia is a Marehan (Somali) clan militia and has been a principal opponent of the Raas Kaambooni Movement in Kismaayo. Fighting occurs mainly between the group and the Raas Kaambooni militia over the control of the strategically important port city of Kismaayo and over the administration of Jubbaland. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The federal government aligned with Barre Hiiraale’s militia in 2012 to gain control of Kismaayo’s port and the Jubaland region. The militia targeted Raas Kaambooni, another militia in the region, that wanted to establish an autonomous Jubaland administration in 2013. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | unknown |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | No information. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | unknown |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no information |
| PGM Members Paid? | no information |
| Reasons for Membership: | No information. |
| PGM Members Killed? | sometimes |
PGM Size
| Size: | There is no exact information on the militia’s force strength. In 2014, 500 additional fighters were recruited. |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | No information. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The PGM was Barre Hiraale’s personal militia who was the military leader of the Marehan clan. In addition, he was member of parliament when the federal government’s time was in office. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.