Pro-Government Militias
Groups for Legitimate Defense (aka Patriots) (Algeria)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 63 |
| Country: | Algeria |
| Date formed: | Aug. 18, 1990 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | The government legalized, formed and supplied weapons to civilian defense groups. It also freed jailed GIA terrorists, asking them to turn against their former comrades. It emerged during the Algerian civil war but continued to be active afterwards. |
| 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? | unclear |
| Former Armed Group? | no information |
| Former Rebel Group? | no |
| Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
| PGM Becomes Rebel Group? | no information |
| Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
Government Relation, Support, and Training
| Government Relation: | semi-official (type 2) |
| Created by the Government?: | unclear | Main Creating Government Institution: | unclear |
| Government Link(s): | state (institution) |
| If link to party, name of party: | |
| Training and Equipment: | yes |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | no information |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | domestic government |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | former rebels |
| Primary Membership: | local |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Bibans area, Bou-Arreridj region |
| Force Strength: | [150000, 300000] |
| Target(s): | rebels, insurgents, or other armed group |
| Purpose(s): | protect property and investment; self-defense and security |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Membership: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: | Patriots still active in 2008 and 2009 with numerous operations conducted in membership with the Security Forces. Patriots participated in discovery operations in 2010 |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The group’s purpose is to support the army in its fight against Islamists. The group is carrying out many actions alongside the army. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | knowledge; local presence |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | The group reportedly killed civilians. There is no information on the government ‘s reaction. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | killing |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no |
| PGM Members Paid? | yes |
| Reasons for Membership: | There is little information on reasons for membership. Some members allegedly joined to get out of jail. |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: | In 1990, the group had around 300,000 members. Especially after the massacres of 1997 the size of the group was increased (Wikipedia). In 1998, a news source mentions the group to have 150,000 members, while in 2000 around 200,000 fighters were reported. |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | The group was armed and trained by the army (Wikipedia). |
Organisation
| Organisation: |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.