Guyana Police Investigating Sexual Assault At Army HQ

News Americas, GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Weds. Mar. 3, 2021: The Guyana police is reportedly now investigating a claim of sexual assault at the headquarters of the Guyana Defence force, (GDF), at Camp Ayanganna, Georgetown.

Reports indicate the allegations were made by a middle-level officer against a senior officer. Senior officers within the GDF start from the rank of major.

While the Guyana Defence Force has not provided the rank structure of the person making the complaint or the rank of the person being accused, Chief of Staff, Godfrey Bess, has said he is very concerned about the recent alleged incidents of sexual misconduct being levelled against ranks and officers of the disciplined organization.

Five soldiers of the GDF were last month accused of rape and the police are also conducting an investigation. The army said then that the soldiers, who are facing the accusation, are stationed at Mabaruma, North West District

The GDF said in a statement Tuesday, said of the recent incident, that it “recognizes that the recent allegations of sexual assault against its ranks require immediate strategies beyond our current training regimen, that will specifically and directly address such deviant behavior by some its ranks.”

“In this regard,” the statement added, “The Force intends to solicit the necessary expertise in crafting and implementing a strategy aimed at holistically addressing this issue.”