Draft:Baloch Mercenaries
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Baloch Mercenaries are Ethnically Baloch individuals, originally belonging to the region of Balochistan (divided between Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan) and who make up the largest percentage of people employed in military and policing roles in East Africa and the Middle East since the 20th century. This occurred with the rise of nation-states and citizen-armies in the Gulf States, which allowed the Baloch to find occupation in the “Gulf’s protection industry” as militants and police officers[1]. Today, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the UAE retain sizeable contingents of Baloch mercenaries. While most Gulf States other than Bahrain have significantly reduced the number of foreign mercenaries in their security forces, naturalized Baloch still form a significant faction in national armies[1].
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History
Baloch presence in the Middle East can be traced back to the 16th and 17th centuries. In Oman, they date back to the Ya’rubi dynasties of the 17th century and grew in prominence under Sultan bin Ahmad al-Bu Sa’id in the 18th century[2]. They were crucial in maintaining Omani interests in East African trade relationships by providing military support to governors in Zanzibar and Pemba who represented al-Bu Sa’id[2]. Baloch soldiers were also part of the contingent that took over Fort Jesus in Mombasa in the 17th century, and constituted over 60% of the Sultan of Oman’s forces in 1964[1].
With the takeover of Balochistan by the British Empire in the 19th century and due to the extreme poverty of Baloch tribes, more individuals offered themselves as soldiers and bodyguards, and were recruited as full-time professional soldiers[2]. The Baloch were recruited as soldiers in Gulf protectorates and regions of British “indirect rule” with the transnational networks they established through mercenary activities in the 16th and 18th centuries, stretching from Gujarat to East Africa[1].
In Bahrain, Baloch presence can be traced back to the Bahrain Levy Corps, the first formal security force formed in the region in 1924 to fill the protection gap between the local police and the British navy[1]. This was following a protectorate treaty signed between the British Empire and the ruling family of Bahrain, Al-Khalifa, in 1892 that agreed on mutual protection for the island through the local police force and British naval ships[1]. A majority of the recruits in the Levy were of Baloch origin.
In the 20th and 21st century, two incidents highlight the presence of Baloch mercenaries and security forces in the Middle East: the 1965 Dhofar Rebellion in Oman, and the 2011 Arab Spring protests in Bahrain.
The Dhofar Rebellion (1965-1975)
In 1965, a rebellion erupted in the region of Dhofar against the Sultan of Oman, Said ibn Taimur, led by the Dhofar Liberation Front[3]. During this time the Sultanate and the Government of Pakistan collaborated to recruit Baloch men as mercenaries to fight the Dhofar Rebellion[4]. However, this recruitment was criticized left-wing Baloch movements such as the Baloch People’s Liberation Front (BPLF), the Baloch Students Organization (BSO), and the National Awami Party (NAP)[4]. Prominently, Hameed Baloch, a student member of the BSO was arrested on 9 December 1979 for shooting an Omani military officer recruiting Baloch soldiers to fight against the Dhofar Rebellion; he was later executed for his rebellion in 1981[4]. Jabal, a bulletin published by the BPLF also criticized these recruitment drives in their March 1978 issue, calling for “Arab-Baloch solidarity”[4].
Arab Spring (2011)
In 2011, mass protests erupted in the Middle East that toppled regimes in Egypt and Tunisia. In Bahrain, a discontented urban middle and working class started demanding reforms from the Al-Khalifa regime, leading to largescale protests in February 2011[5]. Along with support from the United States’ military bases and local Sunni tribal elites (over a larger Shia population), Bahrain’s ruling class maintained control through the Baloch mercenaries that made up 40% of the police, army and security forces[5]. Many of the additional soldiers were recruited from Pakistan through newspaper advertisements[1]. These anti-riot squads were fully armed, given free license to use violence against protestors, and special police forces were reported arresting and torturing many activists[1]. Despite criticism by the local population over using foreign mercenaries, many Baloch were given Bahraini citizenship for their role in suppressing the Arab Spring uprisings[5].