-GDF spokesperson
Many of the soldiers who deserted from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) this year have been responding to the organisation’s advertisements in the local newspapers and returning to the fold, according to spokesperson of the army, Colonel Windie Algernon.

Speaking to Stabroek News yesterday Colonel Algernon said that they had had a “good response” so far from these soldiers as many of them had been reporting to Camp Ayanganna as requested. She could not say exactly how many of the 78 said to be missing had returned although it was “quite a few.”

Meanwhile, Colonel Algernon also reported that the general public had been dialling the 226-9888 and 226-7662 numbers and supplying information on missing soldiers.

Over the past two weeks the army has taken out advertisements in the local newspapers stating that an estimated 78 soldiers were currently Absent Without Leave (AWOL).

“The force wishes to advise the absent ranks to report to the nearest military installation or the nearest police station at the earliest opportunity for further processing,” the advertisement said. The GDF also asked anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of the AWOL ranks to give a report to the nearest police station or call the GDF numbers. Photographs of several of the soldiers along with their last known addresses were also published.
Yesterday Colonel Algernon said that disciplinary action would be taken against the AWOL soldiers as there was a procedure which was followed in such circumstances. However, she could not say what the outcome of the action was likely to be.

While this is the first time in recent times the army has taken such a move against absent soldiers, the colonel said that it had been done before although “not in recent times.”

Soon after taking over the helm of the GDF, Commodore Gary Best had reported in December last year that since 2004, more than 534 soldiers had deserted from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), with close to 150 absconding in 2007 alone.

Best had warned those who had gone AWOL that his depleted army would go after the missing servicemen and bring them back into the fold. At that time it was reported that the country’s military strength was under 3,000. It is not clear whether any action was taken to return those 534 as the present advertisements only focus on those who went AWOL this year.

According to the Defence Act every person subject to military law who absents himself without leave, or who persuades or procures any person subject to service law to absent himself without leave shall on conviction by court-martial, be liable to imprisonment for two years or any less punishment provided by the act. It was understood by this newspaper that absentee soldiers below the rank of substantive corporal returning to the fold were usually tried departmentally and would receive various sentences, most times not exceeding one year. After the sentencing the soldier’s rank would be reduced. From all indications all the AWOLs soldiers for this year are below the rank of substantive corporal.

Last December Best had told a press conference that the military was working on revamping the unit that went after the errant soldiers. He had said this unit would be in place very soon.

Some defence experts are of the view that an exercise to bring back missing soldiers was useless, as the fact that the servicemen had left the military meant they had no interest in it. One expert had told this newspaper last year that while the law provided for any such person to be arrested by the military and taken back into the organisation it was futile to force someone to be part of something he had no interest in.

The expert had said that unless the army could properly find out why the soldier had deserted the force and attempted to address his/her need it would be pointless trying to persuade him/her to return. Previously when the GDF went after missing soldiers there were sometimes violent clashes with the absentees.

Meanwhile, concerns have been raised about the number of absentee soldiers on the streets, since over the years several of them have been involved in criminal activities. There is one theory that some of the men who enlist in the GDF do so to get the military training so as to be equipped to conduct armed criminal activities. A retired senior army officer had agreed with this thesis, saying that the criminal underworld today required men with sound military training to carry out its work.