GDF increasing focus on AWOL soldiers

Mar 09, 2014 News

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The increasing number of deserting soldiers is becoming very worrying for the Guyana Defence Force, (GDF) and the organization is reviewing its policies to arrest the trend.

A statement from army headquarters said that the GDF continues to be active with regards to soldiers who go Absent Without Leave (AWOL).
According to the GDF, the AWOL phenomenon is not unique to the Guyana Defence Force, and it is one which has dogged the administration of the Force over several decades.
The GDF said that its administration remains committed to taking firmer steps to deal with the issue.
In this regard, the GDF is revisiting quality of life issues for its Officers and Other Ranks.
The GDF acknowledged that the welfare of soldiers is an essential component in the maintenance of the morale of its troops; and, as such, it has established a welfare policy which gives clear guidance on responsibility and authority for welfare matters.
The policy provides guidance for the correct courses of actions aimed at ensuring the wellbeing of all Force personnel.
“The Force continues to embrace various interventions aimed at the retention of its personnel. To this end, it continues to provide an array of benefits to its members including, opportunities to further their education both locally and abroad, the provision of annual incentives in recognition of outstanding performance, as well as awarding soldiers with military medals such as the Military Efficiency and Border Defence Medals,” the statement said.
According to the statement, the Force’s policies and regulations regarding this phenomenon are managed through collaborative efforts of the Force’s G1Branch, which has direct responsibility for human resources management, and the Force’s various Units.
It explained that when a soldier goes absent, the first point of action is the soldier’s Unit, where the Commanding Officers initiate action to contact him/her; this includes visits to soldiers’ homes.
Such contact is first to establish whether or not the soldier is physically safe and then to ascertain the reason for the soldier’s absence.
In most cases, the soldier returns to his/her Unit and, following the relevant interviews and hearings, disciplinary action is taken as necessary.

Soldiers who go absent for more than 21 days, are deemed to have deserted.
Cases of desertion are directly administered by the Force’s Defence Headquarters, which then directs action to find the soldier.
When these soldiers are found, they are brought back to the Force and, as is the case with soldiers who have been AWOL, they are charged. The relevant hearings are conducted and disciplinary actions instituted against them.
The Guyana Defence Force said its remains committed to its duty to serve and will continue to do all that is necessary to provide opportunities for Guyanese who seek careers in the military to join.
The GDF has been publishing advertisements in the media which identify AWOL soldiers with a view to apprehending them.
In 2010, they were seeking more than 100 deserters, while the previous year close to 150 were being sought.
In 2008, 78 names were published.
From 2004 to late 2007 more than 534 soldiers deserted the GDF for various reasons.
However some of the GDF’s methods of apprehending these soldiers have come in for intense criticism, especially the apprehension last year of one of its deserting ranks who was taken from a class at the University of Guyana.
The action led to a strong response from the University of Guyana Students Society, which demanded an apology from the GDF.
Ii was alleged that on February 12th last year, three men claiming to be military personnel entered the George Walcott Lecture Theatre (GWLT) and announced that they had come to arrest a man by the name of “Mr. Rodney.”
But in its defence the GDF explained that from the moment of their enlistment, all its officers and ranks are subject to military law in accordance with the Defence Act, Chapter 15:01 of the Guyana Constitution.
“As such, any officer or other rank that goes absent without leave (AWOL) or deserts is, in fact, committing a military offence, which is punishable by law. The Force wishes to reiterate that it is legally right and proper for such offenders to be arrested, detained and punished as necessary,” a subsequent statement from the GDF had said.
It pointed to Section 178 of the Defence Act which stipulates: “178 (1) Any policemen may arrest without a warrant any person whom he has reasonable cause to suspect of being an officer or soldier of the Force who has deserted or is absent without leave. 178 (2) Where no policeman is available any officer or soldier of the Force or any other person may arrest without warrant any person whom he has reasonable cause to suspect as aforesaid.”
Meanwhile there were also reports that AWOL soldiers who were arrested were forced to endure harsh punishment.
Photographs leaked to the media had shown a young soldier lying on a wet concrete floor in a cell at Camp Ayanganna.

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