UCDP Actor Dataset Codebook
Version 2.2-2015

Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP)
Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University

When using the data, please cite the UCDP Actor Dataset, and, whenappropriate, this codebook. Always include the version number in analyses
using the dataset.

This version compiled and updated by:
Therése Pettersson (2014)
Earlier versions:
Therése Pettersson &Lotta Themnér
Ralph Sundberg

1. Introduction
This document describes the UCDP Actor Dataset 1 , a project within the Uppsala Conflict
Data Program (UCDP) at the Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala
University.
The unit of analysis in the UCDP Actor Dataset is a unique actor. The dataset isconstructed so as to be compatible with all UCDP’s datasets on organized violence (theUCDP/PRIO Armed Conflict Dataset, the UCDP Dyadic Dataset, the UCDP One -sided
Violence Dataset and the UCDP Non-state Conflict Dataset) and thus contains all actors –both state – and non-state ones – included in these datasets. As such, it functions as aninventory of actors in UCDP data, but its scope is broader than that. The UCDP Actor
Dataset also ascribes new, unique actor IDs to all non-state actors and Gleditsch and Ward
numbers to all state actors, identifies which types of organized violence the actor has been
involved in (state-based, non-state and/or one-sided) and, more particularly, in whichconflicts and dyads of state-based, non-state and/or one-sided violence. Furthermore, thedataset contains information about the name history of the actor, outlining the mostcurrent name (which is also the name used in the data), the original name (i.e. the namethe group had when it entered UCDP data for the first time) and any possible namechanges between the two. In addition, the dataset also includes information on the group’s
origins and alliances. First, information is given about whether the non-state actor was
created by splintering off from another actor recorded in UCDP data, and, if so, which
actor. Second, information is included on whether the actor is created by a temporary
split in the original actor. Third, the dataset also includes data on whether the non-state
actor ever entered into an alliance with another recorded non-state actor in UCDP data(which would beget a new non-state actor), as well as the name of said alliance. Finally,
information is given about whether a non-state actor has joined a group already registeredin UCDP data, not creating a new alliance but merely entering the other group. For nonstate actors, information can also be found on temporary coalitions i.e. when non-state
actors fight together in non-state conflict or one-sided violence without creating a formal
alliance.
For all actors, the location of the actor is given, as is the region where the location issituated.
Version 2.2-2015 of the UCDP Actor Dataset corresponds to the UCDP/PRIO Armed
Conflict Dataset v. 4-2015; the UCDP Dyadic Dataset v. 1-2015; UCDP Battle-related
deaths Dataset v.5-2015; the UCDP Non-state Conflict Dataset v.2.5-2015; and the UCDP
One-sided Violence Dataset v.1.4-2015. This means that all actors included in thesedatasets are included in the UCDP Actor Dataset.
The dataset is updated annually.
1

Between July and early October 2009 this code was entitled “UCDP Non-state Actor Dataset Codebook”.

2. UCDP’s three categories of organized violence
Below follows a brief introduction to the three types of organized violence that UCDP
collects information on, and that make up the datasets to which the UCDP Actor dataset
corresponds.

2.1 Armed conflict
An armed conflict is defined as a contested incompatibility that concerns government
and/or territory where the use of armed force between two parties, of which at least one is
the government of a state, results in at least 25 battle-related deaths.
Data on this category of organized violence is found in the UCDP/PRIO Armed Conflict
Dataset (presently covering 1946-2014), in the UCDP Dyadic Dataset (1946-2014) and in
the UCDP Battle-related deaths Dataset (1989-2014). For more information, see thecodebooks for these datasets, at http://www.pcr.uu.se/research/ucdp/datasets/ .

2.2 One-sided violenceOne-sided violence is defined as the use of armed force by the government of a state or by
a formally organized group against civilians which results in at least 25 deaths.
Extrajudicial killings in custody are excluded.
Data on this category of organized violence is found in the UCDP One-sided Violence
Dataset (1989-2014). For more information, see the codebook for the dataset, at
http://www.pcr.uu.se/research/ucdp/datasets/ .

2.3 Non-state conflict
A non-state conflict is defined as the use of armed force between two organized armed
groups, neither of which is the government of a state, which results in at least 25 battlerelated deaths in a year.
Data on this category of organized violence is found in the UCDP Non-state Conflict
Dataset (1989-2014). For more information, see the codebook for the dataset, at
http://www.pcr.uu.se/research/ucdp/datasets/ .

3. Definition of State actor
A state actor is always the government of a state.
A state is an internationally recognized sovereign government controlling a specificterritory or an internationally unrecognized government controlling a specified territory
whose sovereignty is not disputed by another internationally recognized sovereign
government previously controlling the same territory. See Section 4 in the UCDP/PRIO
Armed Conflict Codebook for details on the sample of countries covered by thisdefinition.
When in doubt as to who is actually controlling the government of a state, the party
controlling the capital of the state is regarded as the government.
In order to define the total population of states we use the Gleditsch & Ward (1999)
systems membership definition, which is based on the Correlates of War project.
Gleditsch & Ward include countries with a population of more than 250,000 that have ‘arelatively autonomous administration over some territory’, and is ‘considered a distinct
entity by local actors or the state it is dependent on’ (Gleditsch & Ward, 1999: 398).
The Gleditsch & Ward definition differs from our original definition in two main ways.
First, for Gleditsch & Ward a state is considered to be a new entity if it is ‘considered a
distinct entity by local actors’ while the conflict definition only recognizes it as a newentity when the ‘sovereignty is not disputed by another internationally recognizedsovereign government previously controlling the same territory’. Second, the Gleditsch &Ward states all have a population of more than 250,000 while our conflict definition does
not prescribe a specific size of the population. In a few cases, countries with less than
250,000 inhabitants experience conflict or are active as secondary parties in a conflict. In
those cases we use the Gleditsch & Ward tentative list of microstates. For example, themicrostate Tonga was part of the multinational coalition fighting in Iraq in 2004.
The UCDP/PRIO dataset includes one political entity that lacks a country code as it is
excluded from both the Gleditsch & Ward system membership table and the tentative listof microstates: Hyderabad (Hyderabad vs. CPI and Hyderabad vs. India). In 1947 when
England granted India independence, a cabinet memorandum declared that the Princely
States were free to decide to either join India or Pakistan before August 1947 - or devise
their own sovereign political system for self-governance. Hyderabad declared itself
independent on 15 August 1947. The state was populated by approximately 15,000,000
inhabitants. The system membership ended when Hyderabad was annexed by India in
September 1948, after Winston Churchill had proposed to the United Nations to consider
it as an independent state. GWNoA is set at 751.
In a few cases, the dataset have a different sovereignty date for some countries that haveexperienced conflict:Armenia:
Gleditsch & Ward: 23 September 1991 (becomes independent)
UCDP/PRIO: 21 December 1991 (USSR formally ceased to exist)
Comment: On 23 September Armenia declares independence, but there is no indication that
the USSR ceased to lay claim to the territory at that time.
Azerbaijan:
Gleditsch & Ward: 30 August 1991 (becomes independent)
UCDP/PRIO: 21 December 1991 (USSR formally ceased to exist)
Comment: While Gledistch & Ward state that Azerbaijan gained independence on 30 August
1991, there is no indication that the USSR actually ceased to lay claim to the territory at thattime.
Bosnia-Herzegovina:
Gleditsch & Ward: 3 Mars 1992 (declares independence)
UCDP/PRIO: 27 April 1992 (the new constitution of Yugoslavia)
Croatia:
Gleditsch & Ward: 25 June 1991 (declares independence)
UCDP/PRIO: 27 April 1992 (the new constitution of Yugoslavia)
Georgia:
Gleditsch & Ward: 6 September 1991 (the USSR’s recognition of Georgia’s declaration of
independence, on 9 April 1991)
UCDP/PRIO 21 December 1991 (USSR formally ceased to exist)
Comment: While Gleditsch & Ward claim that the USSR recognised Georgia’s independence
on 6 September, this seems to be incorrect. On 6 September the Soviet Union recognized theBaltic States’ independence, but not Georgia’s. Instead, the Soviet Union in early September
1991 refused to discuss recognition of the declaration of independence.

4. Definition of Non-state actor
The UCDP Actor Dataset contains information on all actors/ groups/organisations thatappear in UCDP’s three categories of organized violence. Both the terminology and thetype of organisations included in the three categories vary to some degree. The
UCDP/PRIO Armed Conflict Dataset and the UCDP Dyadic Dataset includes “opposition
actors” and “opposition organisations”, defined as any non-governmental group of people
having announced a name for their group and using armed force to influence the outcomeof the stated incompatibility. The UCDP One-sided Violence Dataset contains “formallyorganized groups”, similarly defined, apart from the requirement of an incompatibility.
Lastly, the Non-state Conflict category in the UCDP Actor Dataset includes both“formally organized groups” and “informally organized groups”. While the former is thesame category as the one used in the One-sided Violence data, the latter is defined as any

group without an announced name, but who uses armed force against another similarlyorganized group. To be included there has to be a clear pattern of violent incidents thatare connected and in which both groups use armed force against the other.
The informally organized group are divided into two categories, members/supporters ofpolitical parties; and broader categories of identifications, such as ethnic groups and clans
or religious groups. The formally organized group category encompasses actors such as
unrecognized states and rebel groups.
As outlined above, the UCDP Actor Dataset thus contains information on a broad
spectrum of non-state actors. The smallest common denominators are that the non-state
actor is an entity comprised of several individuals and that it has some form oforganisational structure (be it formal, as in e.g. rebel groups or more traditional, as in e.g.
ethnic groupings). Non-state actors included in the dataset hence range from small,informal ones such as the Dizi ethnic group in Ethiopia, numbering some 20 000
individuals, to large, state-like formations such as the self-declared Republic of Croatia(before it was recognised as an independent state).

5. Rules guiding the differentiation between non-state actors
To differentiate between non-state actors is at times problematic. 2 When is a non-state
actor completely new and when is it simply a continuation of an already registered nonstate actor, only slightly altered? Some actors tend to be fractious, splitting into different
sub-groups while others join larger coalitions or umbrella groups. UCDP follows fourmain rules:







2

However many times a group changes its name, it still retains the same ActorID(for exceptions, see below).
When an actor splits into two or more actors, the splinter group/groups isconsidered a completely new non-state actor.
Comment: It is sometimes difficult to determine which of the actors should beviewed as the splinter and which should be seen as the original one, as bothfactions tend to claim to be the “original” actor. This is most typically the caseconcerning rebel groups. UCDP deals with this by tracing the main part (i.e. themost numerous) of the actor, which is then coded as the original one. Should thisbe problematic to determine, a second option is to trace the original leader of thenon-state actor in order to identify which actor to code as the original one.
When two or more already registered non-state actors join together under a newname in a tight coalition with joint military operations, the new alliance isregarded as a new actor.
When an already registered non-state actor is joined by another actor that has
previously not been coded as active in the dataset, the new alliance is simply

This problem is mainly associated with the formally organized non -state actors.

viewed as a continuation of the former, previously coded, actor. This applies evenwhen the name of the actor is changed.
Comment: It should be noted that while this rule is applied in most cases in thedatasets conventional logic made it necessary to make some exceptions. Whereas
the rule works well in e.g. the case of NRA in Uganda, which was originally called
PRA but changed its name when it was joined by the much smaller and militarily
insignificant UFF, the logic is less clear in the case of e.g. the Independent
Nasserist Organisation in Lebanon (a.k.a. al- Mourabitoun), which was active infighting the government of Lebanon in 1958 and also resurfaced as part of the
Lebanese National Movement in 1975. In this case it is intuitively and factually
incorrect to characterise the LNM as being a simple continuation of alMourabitoun, and the actor is thus characterised as being an entirely new one.

6. Variables in the dataset
Variable

Label

Brief description

ActorID
Name_Data
Name_Orig

Actor identifier
Name in data
Original name

Name_Orig_Full

Full original name,mother tongue
Full original name,EnglishName change

The unique identifier of all actors
The name that is used for the actor in UCDP datasets.
The name of the actor when it was first included in a UCDP
dataset.
The full original name of the actor, in mother tongue.

Name_Orig_FullEng
NameChange
NewNameNewName_Full_mt

New name
Full new name,mother tongue

NewName_FullEng

ConflictID

Full new name in
EnglishLevel of organization
Conflict identifier

DyadID

Dyad identifier

Primary_party

Primary party

OSID

One-sided v iolence
identifier

Org

The full original name of the actor, in English
Dummy listing whether no n-state actors have changed theirnames.
The new name of the non-state actor
The full new name in mother tongue

The full new name in English
Lists the actor’s level of organization.
The unique identifier of all arm ed conflicts (i.e. conflicts
included in the UCDP/PRIO Arm ed Conflict Dataset and the
UCDP Dyadic Dataset) in which the actor has been recorded.
The unique identifier of all dyads active in arm ed conflicts(i.e. dyads included in the U CDP Dyadic Dataset) in which
the actor has been recorded.
Dummy that relates solely to state actors active in state-based
armed conflicts. Identifies which actors have been coded as
primary parties in conflicts.
The unique identifier of all actors listed in the UCDP Onesided Violence Dataset. Corresponds to the ActorID of agiven actor.

OSVCoalition

One-sided v iolence
temporary coalition

OSVCoalitionID

One-sided v iolence
temporary coalition
identifier
Non-state conflict
identifier

NSID

NSCoalition

Non-state conflict
temporary coalition

NSCoalitionID

Non-state conflict
temporary coalition
identifier
SplinterSplinterName_Prev
ActorID_Prev
Split_temp
Name_Split_Temp

Name
of
the
previous actor
Actor identifier ofprevious actor
Temporary split

Alliance

Name of the original
group
Actor identifier oforiginal group
Alliance

Name_Alliance

Name of the alliance

ActorID_Alliance

Actor identifier of
the allianceJoin_group

Joined group

Group_name

Name of group

ActorID_group

Actor identifies ofgroup
Location

ActorID_Split_Temp

Location

GWNO_Loc

RegionGleditsch and Ward
number(s) of thelocation(s)Region of location

Dummy listing whether the actor has been active in onesided v io lence together with one or several other actors in
the dataset.
The unique identifier of all temporary coalitions listed in the
UCDP One-sided Violence Dataset.
The unique identifier of all non-state conflicts (i.e. conflicts
included in the U CDP Non-state Conflict Dataset) in which
the actor has been recorded.
Dummy listing whether the actor has been active in nonstate conflict to gether with one or several other actors in thedataset.
The unique identifier of all temporary coalitions listed in the
UCDP Non-state Conflict Dataset.
Dummy listing whether a no n-state actor was created bybreaking away from another actor listed in UCDP data
Name of the actor that a given non-state actor broke away
from
The unique identifier of the actor that a given group brokeaway from
Dummy listing whether a non-state actor was created by atemporary split in the original movement.
Name of the actor that a given no n-state actor temporarily
broke away from.
The unique identifier of the actor that a given group
temporarily broke away from.
Dummy listing whether a non-state actor entered into analliance with another non-state actor, also registered in
UCDP data, thus creating a new non-state actor.
Name of the alliance created by the merger of two or more
non-state actors.
The unique actor identifier of the new no n-state actor(alliance) created by the m erger of two or more no n-state
actorsDummy listing whether a no n-state actor jo ined a groupalready registered in UCDP data.
Name of the non-state group that the given non-state actor
joined.
The unique actor identifier of the group that a given nonstate actor joined.
For actors registered in the UCDP/PRIO Armed Conflict
Dataset and the UCDP Dyadic Dataset, this is the location of
the incompatibility. For actors registered in no n-state conflict
and/or one-sided vio lence, regardless of whether they havealso been registered in an armed co nflict, the locatio n iswhere the group’s violent activity has been recorded.
Gleditsch and Ward numbers of all locatio n countries,
separated by a comma
Identifies the region of the location

6.1 ActorID
The identifier of the actor. Each actor in the dataset is ascribed a unique actor ID. For state
actors, the Gleditsch and Ward number for the relevant state is given.

6.2 Name_Data
The name used for an actor in UCDP data is either its current one or the last name it had
when registered in a UCDP dataset. For instance, the Algerian rebel group that was called
Groupe Salafiste pour la prédication et le combat (GSPC) when it was founded in 1998
changed its name to al-Qaida Organization in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in January
2007, a name that it still retains. As the group has been registered in the UCDP Dyadic
Dataset and the UCDP One-sided Dataset for 2007 and 2008, the name listed under Namein data is thus AQIM. In contrast, if a non-state actor is registered in a UCDP dataset forsome years and then, some years after its last entry, changes its name, the name listed
under Name in data will still be the name that it had when it was active.
For formally organized non-state actors, such as militias or rebel groups, the names listed
in this field are by default acronyms when applicable.
The name of state actors is always ‘Government of…’

6.3 Name_Orig
The name of the actor at the point in time that it entered a UCDP dataset for the first time.
For formally organized non-state actors, such as militias or rebel groups, the names listed
in this field are by default acronyms when applicable.

6.4 Name_Orig_Full
This variable is only applicable to non-state actors. It codes the full original name, in
mother tongue.

6.5 Name_Orig_FullEng
The full original name in English.
For state actors this is always ‘Government of…’

6.6 NameChange
NameChange is a dummy variable that indicates whether an actor has changed its nameduring the time period that it is listed in UCDP data.
1 Indicates that it has, while 0 indicates that it has not.

6.7 NewName
If the dummy variable NameChange is given the value 1, the new acronym for the groupis listed under NewName.

6.8 NewName_Full_mt
This variable contains the full name, in mother tongue, of the actor listed under
NewName.

6.9 NewName_FullEng
This variable contains the full name, in English, of the actor listed under NewName.

6.10 Org
This field indicates the level of organization of an actor. As expanded upon in section 3,
the dataset includes a wide range of different types of actors, both state- and non-state
ones. The level of organization is determined according to the following categories:

Organizational level 1 (formally organized groups): Rebel groups, as well as otherorganized groups that have a high enough level of organization so as to be possible toinclude in the state-based armed conflict category. These include rebel groups with anannounced name. 3 This level of organization captures fighting between highly organized3

It should be noted that there are two notable exceptions to the general ru le tha t formally o rganized groups haveto have announced a name fo r themselves. All military fact ions are listed as formally organized actors without
having fulfilled this criterion under the logic that these actors, if any, are formally organized, but thatcircu mstances require them to work in silence and to not announce neither intentions nor names. Similarly, theactor “Hutu rebels”, registered in the One-sided dataset, is also listed as formally organized without having a
specific name. In this case it is because “Hutu rebels” is used as an inclusive term that encompasses more than
one formally organized actor (such as Palipehutu and Palipehutu –FNL). It has been difficult, given the chaotic
environment of Burundi in the late 1990s to clearly identify the rebel perpetrators of one-sided violence when alarge nu mber of rebel movements existed simultaneously. Since this vio lence was carried out by organized
movements -but it has not been possible to establish specifically what group did what - v iolence perpetrated
against civilians by Hutu groups opposing the Tutsi-dominated government has been clustered onto this actor.

rebel groups and fatalities are recorded according to the criteria set for battle-related
deaths in the state-based conflict category.

Organizational level 2 (informally organized groups): Groups composed of supporters andaffiliates to political parties and candidates. These are commonly not groups that arepermanently organized for combat, but who at times use their organizational structures
for such purposes. In addition to supporters of political parties and candidates, included inthis category is also fighting between groups composed of supporters of otherorganizations such as the supporters of al-Ahly football team fighting against the
supporters of al-Masry football team in Egypt 2012.

Organizational level 3 (informally organized groups): Groups that share a common
identification along ethnic, clan, religious, national or tribal lines. These are commonly notgroups that are permanently organized for combat, but who at times organize themselves
along said lines to engage in fighting. This level of organization captures one aspect ofwhat is commonly referred to as ‘communal conflicts’, in that conflict stands along lines ofcommunal identity.

Organizational level 4 (states): All governments of states have been coded asorganizational level 4.

6.11 ConflictID
If an actor is part of one or more of the conflicts included in the UCDP/PRIO Armed
Conflict Dataset, the ConflictID (conflict identifier) of that conflict is listed in this field.
ConflictID is a string variable, where the numbers are separated by a comma (‘,’).

6.12 DyadID
If the actor is part of one or more of the dyads included in the UCDP Dyadic Dataset, the
DyadID (dyad identifier) of that dyad is listed in this field.
DyadID is a string variable, where the numbers are separated by a comma (‘,’).

6.13 OSID
If the actor is listed in the UCDP One-sided Violence Dataset, the OSID (one-sided
identifier) is listed in this field.

6.14 OSVCoalition
The variable OSVCoalition is only applicable to non-state actors. It is a dummy variable
that indicates whether a non-state actor has been active in one-sided violence together
with one or several other actors also listed in UCDP data.
1 Indicates that it has, while 0 indicates that it has not.

6.15 OSVCoalitionID
If the dummy variable OSVCoalition is given the value 1, the one-sided violence
temporary coalition ID(s) that the group has been active in are listed under
OSVCoalitionID. The temporary coalition ID corresponds to the ID given in the variable‘Actor ID’ in the UCDP One-sided Violence Dataset.
OSVCoalitionID is a string variable, where the numbers are separated by a comma (‘,’).

6.16 NSID
If the non-state actor is part of one or more of the dyads included in the UCDP Non-state
Conflict Dataset, the NSID (non-state identifier) of that dyad is listed.
NSID is a string variable, where the numbers are separated by a comma (‘,’).

6.17 NSCoalition
The variable NSCoalition is only applicable to non-state actors. It is a dummy variable thatindicates whether a non-state actor has been active in non-state conflict together with
one or several other actors also listed in UCDP data.
1 Indicates that it has, while 0 indicates that it has not.

6.18 NSCoalitionID
If the dummy variable NSCoalition is given the value 1, the non-state conflict temporary
coalition ID(s) that the group has been active in are listed under NSCoalitionID. The
temporary coalition ID corresponds to the ID given in the variable ‘Conflict ID’ in the
UCDP Non-state Conflict Dataset.
NSCoalitionID is a string variable, where the numbers are separated by a comma (‘,’).

6.19 SplinterThe variable Splinter is only applicable to non-state actors. It is a dummy variable thatindicates whether a non-state actor was formed by breaking away from an actor that has
also been registered in UCDP data.
1 Indicates that it was, while 0 indicates that it was not.

6.20 Name_Prev
If the dummy variable Splinter is given the value 1, the acronym for the group fromwhich a given non-state actor broke away is listed under Name_prev.

6.21ActorID_Prev
The ActorID (actor identifier) of the group, from which a given non-state actor broke
away, is listed under ActorID_prev.

6.22 Split_temp
The variable Split temp is only applicable to non-state actors. It is a dummy variable that
identifies actors created by temporary divisions or splits within actors already registeredin UCDP data. Unlike the actors coded as created in the variable Splinter, those formed in
Split_temp are of a temporary nature. Often they may still view themselves as being partof the original group, but divisions within it has caused fighting between different factions
or groupings. An example of this can be seen in the case of fighting within the Taleban
movement in Afghanistan. In 1996, two Taleban commanders and their followers fought
each other over control of territory. The two factions, Taleban - Ali Dad faction and
Taleban - Mola Khel faction, are registered in the UCDP Actor Dataset as separate actors
created from a temporary split from the Taleban. The split is considered temporary as thecommanders, after the fighting had ceased, continued to be part of the Taleban movement.
1 indicates that a given non-state actor was created by a temporary split, while 0 indicatesthat it was not.

6.23 Name_Split_temp

If the dummy variable Split_temp was given the value 1, the name of the actor that
suffered a temporary split is listed in Name_Split_temp. In the case of the Talebanfactions mentioned above, Taleban is the information given in the field Name_Split_temp.

6.24 ActorID_Split_temp
If the dummy variable Split_temp is given the value 1, the ActorID (actor identifier) of
the group that suffered a temporary split is listed under ActorID_Split_temp.

6.25 Alliance
The Alliance variable is only applicable to non-state actors. It is a dummy variable thatindicates whether a non-state actor has entered into an alliance with another non-state
actor, also registered in UCDP data, and thus created a new non-state actor (see section 4).
1 indicates that it has, while 0 indicates that it has not.

6.26 Name_Alliance
If the dummy variable Alliance is given the value 1, the name of said alliance inacronymic form, is listed under Name_alliance.

6.27 ActorID_Alliance
If the dummy variable Alliance is given the value 1, the ActorID (actor identifier) of said
alliance, is listed under ActorID_alliance.

6.28 Join_group
The Join_group variable is only applicable to non-state actors. It is a dummy variable thatindicates whether a non-state actor has exited UCDP data due to it joining another,already registered non-state actor, and thus ceasing to exists as an own unique actor. The
decision for a non-state actor to join can be either voluntary or forced.
While this variable is closely related to the Alliance variable, there is a fundamental
difference between the two. When an actor is coded in Alliance, it ceases to exist on its
own, as it together with another registered actor creates a new organisation. An exampleof this is when the Ivorian rebel groups MPCI, MPIGO and MJP together created theumbrella group Forces Nouvelles, which was then coded as a new non-state actor.

When an actor is coded in Join_group on the other hand, it ceases to exist because it joins,or is overtaken by another already existing group. An example of this is the case of the
two Congolese rebel groups Ninjas and Ntsiloulous. In October 1997 Dénis SassouNguessou’s Cobra militia, together with Angolan support, managed to oust the sitting
president Pascal Lissouba (supported by the Cocoyes) and his Prime Minister Bernard
Koleleas (supported by the Ninjas). With a new regime in place a majority of the Ninjas,
hid and regrouped in the Pool region. In a parallel development, a new group surfaced in
Pool; the Ntsiloulous. While the group started out as a peaceful messianic movement, thiscame to change during the course of 1998. The Ntsiloulou leader Pasteur Ntumi was able
to attract a large following amongst the Ninjas who thought that by following Ntoumi'sorders they were carrying out the will of God, and subsequently began increasing his
military force. Over time more and more Ninjas joined the Ntsiloulous – some by theirown free will and others under the threat of force – until, eventually, the Ninjas hadceased to exist.
1 indicates that a non-state actor has joined another group, while 0 indicates that it has
not.

6.29 Group_name
If the dummy variable Join_group is given the value 1, the name of the group that a nonstate actor joined, is given under Group_name.

6.30 ActorID_group
If the dummy variable Join_group is given the value 1, the actorID (actor identifies) of thegroup that a non-state actor joined, is given under ActorID_group.

6.31 Location
For actors registered in UCDP data on armed conflict (i.e. in the UCDP/PRIO Armed
Conflict Dataset or in the UCDP Dyadic Dataset), the location is set to the location of theincompatibility. Hence, if a conflict is fought over governmental power in country A, thelocation of the non-state actor challenging the government is set to country A, even if
most of the fighting is taking place in country B and C. The location variable for actors
active in state-based conflicts should thus not be interpreted as the geographical locationof the fighting.4

4

In future versions of this dataset the location of the fighting will also be included.

For actors active in non-state conflict and/or one-sided violence, regardless of whether theactor has also been registered in an active state-based conflict, the location variable
captures the country or countries in which the violent activity has been recorded.

6.32 GWNoLoc
This field contains the country code(s) for the state(s) listed in the Location variable.
GWNoLoc is a string variable, where the numbers are separated by a comma (‘,’).

6.33 Region
Region of Location. This variable groups the various conflicts into five geographicalcategories, dependent on the location of the conflict. Table 2 summarizes these categories:
Region
1
2
3
4
5

Name
EuropeMiddle East
Asia
AfricaAmericasStartGWNo
200
630
700
400
2

EndGWNo
395
698
990
625
165

Region is a string variable, where the numbers are separated by a comma (‘,’).

7. UCDP datasets compatible with the UCDP Actor Dataset-

UCDP/PRIO Armed Conflict Dataset v. 4-2014-

UCDP Dyadic Dataset v. 1-2014-

UCDP Battle-related deaths Dataset v.5-2014-

UCDP Non-state Conflict Dataset v.2.5-2014-

UCDP One-sided Violence Dataset v.1.4-2014

All of the above datasets, and their respective codebooks, can be downloaded
from the UCDP’s webpage at:
http://www.pcr.uu.se/research/ucdp/datasets/