| Country: | Cote d'Ivoire |
| Details of Formation: | Previously unarmed youth wing of the Ivoirian Patriotic Front (FPI). Armed by President Gbagbo after an attempted military coup where several cities were attacked by soldiers (September 19, 2002) |
| Details of Termination: | The militia was created in June 2001 by Charles Blé Goudé as an unarmed youth group that supported the former President of Côte d’Ivoire Laurent Gbagbo. The group “Young Patriots” developed after Goudé’s former youth movement split into two groups and was armed after the failed coup in 2002. (Wikipedia) |
| Purpose: | The group organized multiple attacks against UN peacekeeping forces and foreign institutions, notably French ones. They cooperated with the government because former President Gbagbo’s nationalist policies aligned with their ideology and because Gbagbo used them to fight against rebel forces after the failed coup d’état in 2002. Their attacks on foreigners and peacekeepers demonstrate their intended purpose. The Ivorian government was able to use the militia to control and attack political opposition. (Wikipedia) |
| Organisation: | The Young Patriots were created and led by Charles Blé Goudé. After the coup attempt in 2002 he incorporated the group into the "Youth Alliance for National Survival" (Alliance des jeunes patriotes pour le sursaut national) which also included the militia "Student Federation of Côte d’Ivoire (FESCI)" among other movements. (Wikipedia) |
| Weapons and Training: | Young Patriot members used automatic weapons, but also sticks and machetes against their targets. The PGM received military training. |
| Size: | No information. |
| Reason for Membership: | Members were young supporters of former President Gbagbo and his party who were mostly from the Christian south of Côte d’Ivoire (Wikipedia). Membership was heavily restricted by only allowing 20 to 32-year-olds of “Ivorian descent” to join the organization (Wikipedia). |
| Treatment of Civilians: | The Young Patriots have reportedly attacked civilians indiscriminately. Their use of violence contributed to the escalation of the failed coup in 2002, which eventually led to the civil war until 2011. This behavior was endorsed by the government. |
| Other Information: | The militia is tied to the Alliance des jeunes patriotes pour le sursaut national ("Youth Alliance for National Survival") which was created in 2002 by Goudé (Wikipedia). Other names for the group are Congres Panafricain des Jeunes Patriotes (COJEP), Pan African Congress of Young Patriots and New Patriots. Their leader Goudé was also appointed minister in Gbagbo’s government. |
| References: |
Wikipedia. “Congrès Panafricain des Jeunes et des Patriotes“. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congr%C3%A8s_Panafricain_des_Jeunes_et_des_Patriotes |