Pro-Government Militias
Communal Guards (Algeria)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 64 |
| Country: | Algeria |
| Date formed: | Jan. 1, 1995 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | The Communal Guards were established in 1995 by the government. Over the following months, further communal guards were created. |
| Date dissolved: | Unknown |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | The group was still active in 2014. |
| Termination Type(s): | not terminated |
Former and Successor Group Information
| Predecessor group(s): | none |
| Successor group(s): | none |
| Private Military Company? | no |
| Former Group? | no |
| Former Armed Group? | no information |
| Former Rebel Group? | no information |
| 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?: | yes | Main Creating Government Institution: | no information |
| 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: | village/rural |
| Primary Membership: | local |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | nationwide |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, 16000] |
| 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: | The Communal Guards sometimes appear in sources as a forerunner or subset of Groups for Legitimate Defense (GLD). It appears that the two groups are separate and that Communal Guards are a kind of local policemen, whereas GLD are an armed civilian militia. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The main purpose is to support security forces in their fight against Islamic fundamentalist terrorists (Wikipedia. "2009 in Algeria" /news sources). They are regularly active in combat missions against terrorists. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | local presence |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | One of the minor purposes of the Communal Guards is to protect civilians. However, they were accused of willful killings of unarmed civilians, and act indiscriminately against the families of terrorists. The government allegedly used the Communal Guards to punish its enemies, which included civilians. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | killing |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no |
| PGM Members Paid? | yes |
| Reasons for Membership: | Members joined in order to fight for the government during the war against terrorism, and to take revenge against the Islamists. They also received financial benefits, though the role of the payments for membership is unclear. |
| PGM Members Killed? | often |
PGM Size
| Size: | - The group has a size of around a maximum of 16,000 fighters, though it is not entirely clear if all of the mentioned fighters are active within the Communal Guards or other structures. Recruitment went on after the founding until at least 1996, so the initial size supposedly increased during this time period. |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | The Communal Guards are armed by the government and were training with the gendarmerie. No mention of training after 1995. They are described as being heavily-armed. |
Organisation
| Organisation: |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.