| Country: | Ethiopia |
| Details of Formation: | The militia was formed by the government under Mengistu, the implementation being in the hands of the Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC, better known as the “Derg”), and was intended to function as a popular defence force. |
| Details of Termination: | -- |
| Purpose: | According to the government, the main purposes of the Peoples’ Militia when it was formed were providing security, defence and border protection. |
| Organisation: | Government forces such as the army or the police worked closely together with the militia, which has been referred to as a division of the army itself. Examples include patrolling jointly with the police or fighting rebels and carrying out acts of violence against civilians with the military. News sources report that officials were directly in charge of the militia. The government provided financial support. |
| Weapons and Training: | Members were trained and armed by the government, though there is no information on the types of weapons they were given. |
| Size: | -- |
| Reason for Membership: | One news source reports that the militia tried to force young people to fight in the war. However, it is not clear whether it wanted them to join their own militia or the army, though the two worked closely together. Information on whether members were paid is contradictory, some sources stating that they received food while others say that they were financially compensated and protested when the government failed to pay them. Members were also permitted to loot people’s property. Ethnic membership may be inferred from the dominant faction in government. Nominating committees set up by urban dwellers associations (kebeles) were charged with finding recruits to fill the ranks of both the regular army and people's militia in their district. |
| Treatment of Civilians: | The militia was responsible for illegal detentions, torture, rape and extrajudicial killings. According to news reports, it forced the recruitment of young people, arrested people who resisted this, and looted their property. In one instance it was reported that the militia carried out a bomb attack on civilians and in another that they burned down a village. The Peoples’ Militia took part in fighting rebels and its main targets were political opponents. The government tolerated this behaviour, giving the militia permission to loot peoples’ property, commit robberies and other, more extreme acts of violence against civilians. |
| Other Information: | The group is also financially supported by local community and local government; Location of operations: Eritrea [then the most Northern province of Ethiopia], Northern Gonder [North-western Ethiopia], Southern Gonder [North-Western Ethiopia],Northern Shewa [Central Ethiopia], Oromo [Western Ethiopia], Welega [Western Ethiopia], Welo [Northern Ethiopia] Nominating committees set up by urban dwellers associations (kebeles) were charged with finding recruits to fill the ranks of both the regular army and people's militia in their district. Alongside the army, the militia also played a role in the border conflict with Eritrea. |
| References: | Information was taken from news sources listed in the PGMD |