Africa-Press – Cape verde. Cape Verde has three ongoing investigations into the death of a Forces Amadas recruit, on the island of São Vicente, one of them from the Ministry of Defense, into training practices and procedures, an official source said today.
Cape Verde with three ongoing investigations into the death of an Armed Forces recruit
Speaking to the press, in the city of Praia, the Minister of State and National Defense, Janine Lélis, said that an investigation is taking place by the General Staff of the Armed Forces and another by the 1st Military Region, in São Vicente, where in October 13, a recruit died after feeling unwell during a march.
“And there is also an investigation being carried out by the Ministry of National Defense, which aims to determine the adequacy of the instruction procedure, that is, to verify and keep in mind what rules are being adopted in practice and on a daily basis”, reported to the governor.
The minister guaranteed that there is an “interest” from the State, the Ministry of Defense and the Cape Verdean Armed Forces in clarifying the situation, in order to maintain levels of trust in the military institution and in the provision of mandatory military service in the country.
“The State has the obligation to ensure that compulsory military service is provided with the highest standards and the most appropriate procedures”, he declared, in a speech at the opening of a course for promotion to captain of the Armed Forces, and after complaints from the family of the military, who threaten to take the case to court.
The governor warned that “no type of excess will be tolerated” in the institution and that no action that disrespects the dignity and military integrity of recruits will go without “effective and exemplary accountability”.
“We have a duty to do our best so that our young people continue to see the Armed Forces as an opportunity for a military career, but, above all, that they receive the most appropriate treatment and instruction during their time there”, he highlighted in his speech .
In statements to journalists, the minister regretted what happened and considered the family members’ complaints about the investigation procedures to be “understandable and natural”, but assured that the Republic’s institutions exist to determine responsibilities and clarify the case.
Asked how long the investigation will take, the minister did not commit to exact dates and said that she prefers to “take as much time as necessary” so that everything can be investigated with the “necessary details and rigor”.
“More important than the time it takes to conduct the process is the effectiveness and the result that we want to extract from this investigation. And it is in this direction that we are working”, he promised, saying that, as soon as the report is completed, the General Staff of the Armed Forces will make a communication to the country.
According to information released at the time by the Ministry of Defense, the 20-year-old recruit “felt unwell during the final stage of an administrative march, and immediately received first aid from the military doctor and the rescuer who accompanied the said march”.
The young man, who was from the town of Queimada Guincho, on the island of Fogo, was first treated in the infirmary of the Morro Branco Military Instruction Center, from where he was transferred to the emergency room of Hospital Batista de Sousa (HBS), in Mindelo.
Already under observation in that unit, “despite a slight improvement, the condition was worrying”, and he ended up dying on the same day.
For More News And Analysis About Cape verde Follow Africa-Press
