Militia means civilian army
A militia is a group of civilians who have taken military duties. It is therefore not a normal military force with professional soldiers and also has less political control. For society, it makes a difference whether a militia is acting alongside a normal army (and there is also some political control). If the group of citizens takes over public tasks in the field of security, there is also talk of a civilian guard. In the Middle East there are many countries with militias, many religious or ethnic groups have their own armed forces/militia.