Militiamen

Local guerillas of their underdog country who are often motivated by their own hatred for their enemies to drive their fighting spirit, completely, like most, unaware of The Patriots' existence. There are about as many theories to their motives as there are different causes for each militia, however many to each his own, they all have one simple objective: removing the local goverment from power and establishing their own sovereign nation. They range from idealistic, self-proclaimed freedom fighters to vengful locals seeking to avenge friends and loved ones killed in the ensuing conflict (while they have little regard for each other's lives, they still feel obligated to strike back against the opposition, for whatever reason, as they still see them as the ones responsible for their deaths rather than the war itself), to an assortment of motley crews of garden-variety thugs who wish to establish a criminal empire. Most of their armament comes at a very cheap price found in any black market, and are supplied by arms dealers like Drebin. With the involvment of PMCs increasing on a global scale, weapons laundering skyrocketed along with it, and with that came more and more supplies of advanced weaponry on the black market, and as a result, may have caused old Warsaw Pact weapons such as the AK-47 to be disregarded in favor of the more modern AK-102 as their weapon of choice. Antitank launchers such as the RPG-7 would still see their popularity among every militia against the PMCs' military hardware, as well as portable mortar canisters for the use of bombardment against enemy targets launched from any locale within urban city limits or otherwise.

Despite this adaquate armament making them a considerably dangerous force, they still lacked the logisitics, technology, and training the PMC mercenaries possesed, and as history would show, a group of guerillas of any size could never hope to defeat a regimated force on brute strength alone in any relm of physical possibilities in reality. As a result they, like every guerilla force throughout history, must rely on guerilla tactics, which include hit and run attacks, mounted ambushes, use of the terrain to their knowlege, etc. all as a means to attempt to ware down the financial backing of the PMCs. Whether their fight is futile or not, with the continued expansion of the war economy, the backing of their local population is what keeps them alive whether it be through hearts and minds or intimidation, and as long as the support of their people for their cause and ideology still exists, so shall they. It should be noted however, that the only reason that they united as a force, is simply due to the fact that they are untied against a common enemy, and should the PMCs cease their occupation, so will the unity that binds them together...and their countries shall fall victim to warlordism. The sources of their financial income very, but whether it be from a warlord of immense wealth, or a finacially beneficial state on bad terms with the PMC's employers, one can say for sure that the age of deterrence has become the age of proxy war.

The ganre of militia very by each locale and are as follows:
 * Middle-Eastern Militia: Not unlike the Mujahidin guerilla in Afghanastan during the Soviet-Afghan occupation (mentioned by Ocelot in MGS), they fight against those who they see as an occupying force, and fight with a great zeal of enthusiasm. This time however, they do not have the US to back them. Relying heavily on fanatics, they have hatred for the west that roots from the establishment of and support for the state of Isreal to American intervention in the Gulf War. It was only in 1998 when an infamous warlord, revered by his people as "Saladin" as Sniper Wolf saw Big Boss, decided to declare a "fatwah" on the American people, "military and civilian" a year prior to the uprising in Zanzubar Land. They have been at war with the west and all of it's interests ever since, and see themselfs as "holy warriors" fighting a war agianst the percieved infidel.
 * Eastern European Militia: Much like Gurlukovich's pro-communist soldiers, they seek the revival of their motherland to make Lenin's dream of a communist paradise a reality and see the current Russia today possesing nothing. Althogh it has been 26 years since the collapse of the Soviet Union, there are still those who would still prefer to see the Eastern Bloc restored to the rule of a red flag as they continue their war against capitalism.
 * South American Militia: Similar to the 'Eastern European Milita', they were formed originally by the Soviet Union with the birth of groups in Columbia such as FARC (mentioned by Campbell in MGS:PO), seeking to establish communist leadership since the end of the Cuban Missile Crises. While they originated as a purely guerrilla movement, the group became involved with the illicit drug trade during the 1980s, which caused an official separation from the Communist Party and the formation of a political structure called the Clandestine Colombian Communist Party. Despite this, the various organizations will not relent until they can create a region of communism as they see fit in the western hemesphere.

They appear in Metal Gear Solid 4.