Aubevillois (Congo Brazzaville)

Country: Congo Brazzaville
Details of Formation: The militia was created as the Presidential Guard by President Lissouba in 1992 when tensions in Brazzaville’s Bakongo neighborhood arose. In 1993, the group was renamed Aubevillois.
Details of Termination: Militiamen revolted multiple times because they demanded full integration into the regular army. This led to a confrontation with the armed forces. In 1994, all Congolese parties agreed to disband their militias in a peace accord. Nonetheless, the Aubevillois militia continued to exist as a PGM until Lissouba’s loss of power in 1997.
Purpose: The militia was created to target Bakongo people in Brazzaville and to target political opposition from the PCT and the MCDDI. Many people of Bakongo and Lari ethnicity feared the Aubevillois due to their frequent attacks against Bakongos and Laris. In addition, the Aubevillois was supposed to provide protection for UPADS politicians. (Themnér 2011, 71)
Organisation: Aubevillois was described as former President Lissouba’s personal militia.
Weapons and Training: Militia members received training at the Military and Development Training Center in addition to supervision by Israeli reserve officers. Aubevillois received weapons from South Africa.
Size: The militia had about 500 members. Former President Lissouba planned to expand the group to up to 2,000 men.
Reason for Membership: Members joined for economic benefits and due to their ethnic loyalty. (Themnér 2011, 71)
Treatment of Civilians: The militia targeted people of Lari ethnicity and political opposition. One source reported that in 1993 the militia had killed 2,000 people while displacing many more.
Other Information: As the Aubevillois were set up by Lissouba, they are coded as Nibolek targeting his opponents' groups (Lari/Bakongo, Mbochi).
References: Themnér, Anders. 2011. Violence in post-conflict societies: Remarginalization, remobilizers and relationships. Routledge.