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Maldives State Security Services
Apart from the FAP, there are five state security
services in
Madagascar: the National Gendarmerie, the Republican
Security
Force (Force Républicaine de Sécurité--FRS), the Civil
Police,
the Civil Service, and the Antigang Brigade. With the
exception
of the National Gendarmerie, all these units are outside
the FAP
chain of command.
A 7,500-member National Gendarmerie operates within the
Ministry of Defense. This organization maintains public
order,
preserves security at the village level, protects
government
facilities, pursues criminals, and prevents cattle
rustling.
National Gendarmerie units are stationed throughout the
island.
The organization's equipment inventory includes automatic
weapons, armored cars, and aircraft. The National
Gendarmerie
also operates a maritime police contingent that possesses
five
Philiberi Isiranana-class patrol craft (German Bayerische
Schiffbau design).
Shortly after becoming president, Tsiranana created the
700-
member FRS to safeguard his personal security and to act
as an
antiriot unit. By 1972 the FRS, which eventually became
the GMP,
included about 1,000 personnel. In late 1981 Ratsiraka
established and commanded a similar organization called
the
Presidential Security Regiment (Regiment de Sécurité
Présidentielle--Reser), or simply the Presidential Guard.
Initially, North Korean instructors trained this
1,200-member
unit, whose personnel belonged to Ratsiraka's
Betsimisaraka
ethnic group. The Reser possesses a bunker at Iavoloha
near
Antananarivo, and the Mahajamba Regiment, which
specializes in
riot control. In the late 1980s, the French assumed
responsibility for training the Presidential Guard.
A 3,000-member Civil Police force is attached to the
Ministry
of Interior. Most Civil Police personnel serve in the
island's
cities. The head of each prefecture has at least a small
contingent under his control. Like the National
Gendarmerie, the
Civil Police often overreact during times of civil strife,
thus
earning the enmity of protesters and dissidents alike.
Since the
late 1980s, however, both organizations have attempted to
improve
their image.
The Civil Service is a paramilitary force that serves
as a
reserve element of the defense forces. Its operations are
nonmilitary in nature and often involve working in rural
and
social development programs. Potential draftees serve in
the
Civil Service as an alternative to regular military duty.
During his early days as president, Ratsiraka created a
300-
member intelligence and political investigation unit known
as the
General Directorate of Information and Documentation
Internal and
External (Direction Générale de l'Information et de la
Documentation, Intérieure et Exterieure--DGIDIE). This
organization, whose personnel were trained originally by
German
Democratic Republic (GDR--East German) and then by French
advisers, possesses unlimited arrest and detention powers.
To
perform its duties, the DGID relies on a vast network of
informers to ferret out dissenters, currency violators,
and
potential political opponents of the president. Over the
years,
the DGID has been accused of violating human rights,
engaging in
corrupt practices, and imprisoning foreign nationals
accused of
spying.
In February 1989, the French helped Madagascar
establish an
Antigang Brigade. This unit, which reports to the Ministry
of
Interior, is responsible for combatting hijackers,
terrorists,
and dangerous criminals. French security advisers provide
training to the brigade.
Data as of August 1994
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