Aline Sara

They’ve been around for a while, but never have they been put to such twisted, terrifying and effective use.
From Egypt’s baltageya to Syria’s shabiha, from Yemen’s baltija to the Libyan mourtazakad, state-sponsored mercenaries have been essential in squelching dissent during the popular uprisings spreading across the Middle East.

According to Human Rights Watch researcher Letta Tayler, “Authorities are just as responsible for an attack by civilians that they facilitated or ordered as they are for attacks by bone fide security forces.”
In most cases, noted Tayler, the mercenaries are breaking international law by using excessive force against largely peaceful demonstrators.
From the origins of their names to how much they make, NOW Lebanon gives you a guide to the most infamous of the regime-backed killers of the Arab Spring.

EGYPT'S BALTAGEYA

 
Derived from the Turkish word “balta,” which means “ax,” Egypt’s baltageya have been making headlines since the revolution started in that country in January.
History: Georgetown University’s Adel Iskandar noted that before the Egyptian revolution, the baltageya had been “a mainstay in Egyptian cinema and television, where they exist and function outside the law.”

“They are often depicted as part of a parallel legal system—a missing link between elite hegemons and the unruly masses,” Iskandar wrote, adding that they are often considered tools being used by authorities rather than perpetrators of unrest.
“What September 11th did to the usage of the term ‘terrorists,’ the Egyptian revolution did for the word baltageya,” Iskandar said.

What they do: The baltageya became notorious during the Egyptian revolution last winter, scaring off people during the peaceful Tahrir Square demonstrations or trying to start fights to make the protesters seem violent.
More recently, baltageya were spotted at the Israeli Embassy riots and during football games, noted Hassan El Ghayesh, a 25-year-old architect from Cairo who participated in last winter’s protests.
Who they are: According to Ghayesh, the baltageya are usually former inmates and underprivileged members of society. During the revolution, the regime of then-President Hosni Mubarak hired them to do the dirty work the police could not do in uniform.

“In exchange, they got away with minor illegal doings, such as drug dealing or theft,” Ghayesh told NOW Lebanon. “At times they were offered control of entire neighborhoods, usually the more destitute.”

Memorable incident:

On February 2, 2011, baltageya charged Tahrir Square on camels and horses, attacking demonstrators with swords and knives in what is now known as the "Battle of the Camel." The incident left several hundreds dead or injured.
 

SYRIA'S SHABIHA

Shabiha is derived from the word “shabah,” which means “ghost” in Arabic. While some argue that the name refers to ghosts in general, others say it refers to a model of Mercedes driven by regime loyalists in and around Latakia a few decades ago.

History:

A BBC article confirms that the term shabiha was first used when referring to Latakian Alawite militia members who were supporters of the regime of Hafez al-Assad, the current Syrian president’s father, in the 1970s. They were known for smuggling weapons and drugs as well as for illegal car dealing and other street crimes.

Though in the 1980s and 1990s, they were not as visible, the shabiha re-emerged when the Syrian uprising began last March.

According to an article in French newspaper Liberation last week, members of the shabiha make about $40 per day in a country where the monthly salary is approximately $200.

What they do:

Rather than merely disrupting peaceful protests, Syria’s shabiha have arrested, tortured and murdered anti-regime demonstrators.
Earlier this summer, Syrians who had fled to Lebanon’s Wadi Khaled told NOW Lebanon the shabiha had broken into their homes and beaten them before taking them away for “interrogation.”

Who they are:

Like Egypt’s baltageya, the shabiha are usually outlaws or poor people, but can also be state agents in civilian clothing. Some government hires are Internet-based and monitor the opposition’s online activity and hack into their websites. Some defected Syrian soldiers have pointed to Iranian involvement in the government crackdown.
During an interview with Al Jazeera, Syrian opposition figure Hitham al Maleh said there are about 50,000 shabiha in the country. They are also active in disrupting anti-Assad protests and intimidating demonstrators in cities worldwide.

Memorable incident:

In this amateur video, shabiha, dressed in their trademark black, beat a protester and force him into the back of a truck. Many demonstrators and their family members are known to have disappeared in such a manner, forced into vehicles and taken to unknown destinations. 
 
LIBYA'S MOURTAZAKAD

Of all the non-state militants fighting on behalf of former Libyan President Muammar Qaddafi, the mourtazakad, which literally means “mercenaries” in Arabic, were the most famous.

History:

These mercenaries are typically from Niger, Mali, Algeria and Burkina Faso. According to Fordham University’s Carina Ray who specializes in African history, Qaddafi had been training these immigrants for decades.

Since the Libyan conflict erupted last February, the media has focused on the African fighters, but the extent of their participation has been exaggerated and exploited by the rebels, argues the professor.
Following the fall of the Qaddafi regime, refugees and African immigrants have been targeted in Libya.

What they do:

“We would kill three or four in the front of the crowd and they all ran away… [It] was very easy,” said one of the mercenaries during an interview with the Atlantic.
Speaking from his native Timbuktu, the mercenary explained that a few years ago, he was offered $1,300 in addition to full citizenship to enlist in Qaddafi’s army. His wife and children were also given healthcare and schooling.

As hostilities escalated, the mercenaries’ work went from crushing demonstrations to raiding rebels’ homes.
“If Qaddafi’s thugs decide to storm your house, that’s it. No one can help you,” said a Tripoli resident during an interview with France24. “I have witnessed many checkpoints where men carrying AK-47 rifles smelled of alcohol and behaved as if they were intoxicated, which is unusual in a Muslim country,” said the eyewitness.

Who they are:

Besides using a number of Tuaregs, who are nomads from the Sahara, Qaddafi, like his Arab counterparts, released local criminals and drug addicts from jail to conduct the most ferocious acts of violence.

Rasmus Bogeskove Larsen, a Danish journalist who just returned from Libya, told NOW Lebanon that security personnel also dressed in civilian clothes and committed acts of violence against rebels and their families. “They operated similarly to the shabiha gangs in Syria, terrorizing the population of Tripoli and other cities when they were still under Qaddafi’s control, but the most atrocious acts was surely committed by Qaddafi’s soldiers and his mercenaries,” he said.

Memorable incident:

On March 17, the United Nations Security Council voted in favor of Resolution 1973, which approved the no-fly zone over Libya in addition to "all necessary measures" to defend civilians. US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton had slammed Qaddafi for his use of "mercenaries and thugs." A few weeks later, NATO launched its intervention.
 

YEMEN'S BALTIJA

A variant of Egypt’s baltageya, the baltija in Yemen can be described as vigilantes, according to a UNHCR report.

History:

According to Sanaa-based reporter Laura Kasinof, the baltija seem to have surfaced at the beginning of the uprising, late last January. President Ali Saleh, like Qaddafi, built the baltija from gang members and tribesmen as well as mercenaries from other countries.

What they do:

“Armed with sticks and gambiyas [a saber worn by many Yemenis], [the Saleh loyalists] infiltrate Change Square, the main gathering point of the revolution, to either identify future targets or to simply create chaos,” Yemen-based journalist Elena White told NOW Lebanon.

“In Taiz, the regime has been using snipers undercover to shoot down protesters while they were marching, claiming afterward that the men were dissidents linked to either al Qaeda or defected General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar,” she added. “[Many of the tribesmen] have also been asked to patrol the streets of the capital, acting as spies for the regime.”

"Time and again, security forces have stood by or even assisted gangs launching brutal attacks on largely peaceful protesters,” noted Tayler from HRW, which has documented the attacks in a number of reports.

Who they are:

The baltija is made up of former detainees, tribesmen and mercenaries who fight in exchange for food, money, lodging or other such compensation.
According to White, “anonymous sources within the Justice Ministry claimed that Saleh ordered the release of drug dealers, murderers and rapist [from prison] under the condition that they become government agents.”

Memorable incident:

Last spring, baltija covered Maher Hassen in oil and set him ablaze. Luckily for the young activist, fellow protesters managed to save him from burning to death, and he became a symbol of the uprising. Prior to the incident, baltija had raided his home and kidnapped members of his family.