may 8, 2018 - SDF "dissolved" (Decree #555)

Description:

The government officially dissolved the Special Deterrence Force (SDF) on 7 May 2018 through Decree No. 555, integrating the militia into a new security force called the “Deterrence Apparatus for Combating Organized Crime and Terrorism” (DACOT). According to Article 13 of this decree, all SDF members and property, including weapons and equipment, are to be integrated in the newly created DACOT. In effect, the Decree provides the SDF with a nationwide remit and sweeping new powers of arrest, detention, and surveillance.