Pro-Government Militias

Pro-Government Militia Website

Special Force Vigilante (Uganda)

Basic Group Information

Name assigned by coder: yes
PGM ID Number: 98
Country: Uganda
Date formed: Nov. 10, 1981
    Accuracy of date formed: year
Details of Formation: The existence of the militia is first mentioned in 1981. They were set up by the vice president and minister of defence Mr Paulo Muwanga.
Date dissolved: July 27, 1985
    Accuracy of date dissolved: year
Details of Termination: The date when President Obote was deposed is coded as the termination date for this group although they were not mentioned after December 1981.
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: informal (type 1)
Created by the Government?: yes
    Main Creating Government Institution: person/minister
Government Link(s): person/minister
    If link to party, name of party: Uganda People's Congress
Training and Equipment: yes
Shared Information and Joint Operations: no information
Shared Personnel: no information
Type(s) of Material Support: no information
State Sponsor(s): none
Other Connection(s):

Group Characteristics

Membership: adolescents; party activists
Primary Membership: political
Alternative Primary Membership: no information
Location: trained in Entebbe
Force Strength: [unknown, 600]
Target(s): rebels, insurgents, or other armed group
Purpose(s): protect state, national or religious institutions; 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: Next to the army, the police and the ‘ragged’ militia, the Special Force Vigilante belonged to the four distinct units of Obote’s security apparatus.

New Variables from Meta-Analysis

Purpose

Purpose: President Obote tried to compensate army deficiencies with the creation of the militia. Recruits comprise adolescents and party members of the Uganda People's Congress Party. They are supposed to counter rebel activity in the countryside and report intelligence to the army.
Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use knowledge; local presence

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? no information

PGM Size

Size: The group was designed to grow to 5,000 recruits from their initial 600 trained men.

Weapons and Training

Weapons and Training: The group received three weeks of political and military training at Lunyo Farm in Entrebbe.

Organisation

Organisation: The group’s passing out parade was attended by the vice-president.

Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis

Information was taken from news sources listed in the PGMD

Evidence