| Country: | Libya |
| Details of Formation: | According to one source revolutionary guards participated in Gaddafi’s coup in 1969; it is not clear, however, if these refer to the Revolutionary Guards coded here. Other sources mention that the group was formed in the early 1980s though they do not say explicitly by whom. Again other sources say that the group emerged from revolutionary committees, but it is not clear if these committees refer to the PGM with that name. |
| Details of Termination: | The group was loyal to Gaddafi. It is therefore coded as terminated the day the NTC was recognized as government in August 2011. The NTC banned members of the Revolutionary Guards from holding public office (Human Rights Watch 2012). |
| Purpose: | The main purpose of the Revolutionary Guard was to protect Gaddafi and his regime (Wikipedia). Other related purposes were to check the army and to subdue the Libyan population. The Revolutionary Guard fulfilled this purpose in 1985, when they played a significant role in blocking the military coup against Gaddafi (Wikipedia). |
| Organisation: | The Revolutionary Guards became entrenched within the army after the early 1980s. As of 2005, their leader was Hasan al-Kabir al-Gaddafi, a cousin of the Libyan leader Gaddafi (Wikipedia). The Revolutionary Guards were the top of a structure built up by Colonel Gaddafi to protect himself. |
| Weapons and Training: | A news source of 1986 says the group had paramilitary training, but had only light weapons. In 1999, a news source reports that they had machine guns. Wikipedia describes them as well armed and being provided T-54 and T-62 tanks, APCs, MRLs, SA-8 SAMs and ZSU-23-4 anti-aircraft guns from the army inventory. The Revolutionary Guards controlled the ammunition stockpiles at the main military based, dispensing the ammunition in small quantities according to the need of the regular forces (Wikipedia) |
| Size: | A news source of 1986 estimates 1,000-2,000 young Libyans to be members of the Revolutionary Guards. Wikipedia reports 3,000 members (Wikipedia). |
| Reason for Membership: | Members were hand-picked from Gaddafi’s tribal group (Wikipedia). They were volunteers who did not receive any salary. |
| Treatment of Civilians: | In 2011, the Revolutionary Guard fired on peaceful protesters at least on two occasions (Human Rights Watch April 2011a and 2011b). They acted on Gaddafi’s official order to go out and kill everyone that he didn’t want on the street. |
| Other Information: | The Revolutionary Guards are also known as Jamahiriyyah Guard (Wikipedia). Ethnic membership inferred from leader. |
| References: |
Human Rights Watch. 2011. “Libya: 10 Protesters Apparently Executed.” https://www.hrw.org/news/2011/08/18/libya-10-protesters-apparently-executed Human Rights Watch. 2011. “Libya: Security Forces Kill 84 Over Three Days.” https://www.hrw.org/news/2011/02/18/libya-security-forces-kill-84-over-three-days Human Rights Watch. 2011. “Libya: Amend Vetting Regulations for Candidates, Officials.” https://www.hrw.org/news/2012/04/28/libya-amend-vetting-regulations-candidates-officials Wikipedia. “Revolutionary Guard Corps”. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Revolutionary_Guard_Corps&oldid=917639220 |