 In 1959, Duvalier created a rural militia, the " (, )—commonly referred to as the after a bogeyman—to extend and bolster support for the regime in the countryside.The "Macoute", which by 1961 was twice as big as the army, never developed into a real military force but was more than just a secret police.In the early years of his rule, Duvalier was able to take advantage of the strategic weaknesses of his powerful opponents, mostly from the mulatto elite.