Pro-Government Militias

Pro-Government Militia Website

West Side Boys (Sierra Leone)

Basic Group Information

Name assigned by coder: no
PGM ID Number: 86
Country: Sierra Leone
Date formed: July 7, 1999
    Accuracy of date formed: day
Details of Formation: The West Side Boys emerged as a splinter group of the military and were later part of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), a group of soldiers that allied itself with RUF in the late 1990s after they seized control in Sierra Leone by ousting President Kabbah through a coup. However, in 1999, as a result of a failed peace accord, they transformed into a pro-government militia, supporting the government in their fight against RUF rebels (Wikipedia, Utas/Hörgel 2008).
Date dissolved: June 1, 2000
    Accuracy of date dissolved: month
Details of Termination: In 1999, the West Side Boys became involved in the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration process. However, the demobilisation was interrupted by the reappearance of RUF rebels, posing a threat to Freetown. Consequently, the West Side Boys were rearmed and fought for the Kabbah government. In 2000, members of the West Side Boys turned their guns on their government allies (Utas/Hörgel 2008).
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: 535
PGM Becomes Rebel Group? yes
    Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: 535

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:
Training and Equipment: no
Shared Information and Joint Operations: yes
Shared Personnel: no
Type(s) of Material Support: plunder and loot
State Sponsor(s): none
Other Connection(s):

Group Characteristics

Membership: children; ex soldiers
Primary Membership: noncivilian
Alternative Primary Membership: no information
Location: Freetown, Lunsar, Masiaka, Magbeni
Force Strength: [300, 300]
Target(s): civilians; rebels, insurgents, or other armed group; regular military force; international peacekeeping force; foreign military
Purpose(s): fight insurgents

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:

New Variables from Meta-Analysis

Purpose

Purpose: The West Side Boys safeguarded Freetown from the advancing RUF rebels in 2000. They worked together with Civil Defence Forces and the Sierra Leonean Army. The militia then battled to protect the government they had fought against during the preceding three years (Utas/Hörgel 2008).
Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use unknown

Treatment of Civilians

Treatment of Civilians: One news source suggests that the West Side Boys conducted a series of rapes on defenceless civilians.
Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: sexual violence

Reasons for Membership

PGM Members Coerced? yes
PGM Members Paid? no
Reasons for Membership: Besides former soldiers, the group also included children who were abducted by recruiters after their parents were killed (Wikipedia).
PGM Members Killed? rarely

PGM Size

Size: The group size had expanded to about 600 members but later suffered from around 200 defections (Wikipedia).

Weapons and Training

Weapons and Training: The group utilised conflict diamonds to purchase many of their weapons, that included AK-47s, several other guns and rifles and mortars. Most vehicles they used were hijacked from UN food convoys (Wikipedia).

Organisation

Organisation: Some of the senior West Side Boys’ commanders had been personal bodyguards in the NPRC government (military junta 1992-1996). Many of the initial leaders shared a background in die Sierra Leonean Army and the ongoing close cooperation contributed to the militia’s effectiveness (Utas/Hörgel 2008).

Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis

Utas, Mats/Jörgel, Magnus. 2008. "The West Side Boys: military navigation in the Sierra Leone civil war." The Journal of Modern African Studies 46 (3): 487-511.

Wikipedia. “West Side Boys”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Side_Boys

Evidence