The Operation Commander, Saw Darko with Battalion 33, which operates under the Dawa Column, claims the deaths of two trainees within a special military training program led by the Ye Guerrilla Force (YGF) were caused by the negligence of an instructor.
The special three-month training program, currently in its second cycle, is led by five instructors and involves over 90 trainees.
One of the deceased, a trainee named Dinosaur, passed away in May, and another, Batit, died during the first week of June.
Saw Darko emphasized the deaths were not due to physical abuse by instructors but caused by an illness and the instructors’ lack of responsibility.
“This is special forces training, and it’s intense. The instructors conduct the training accordingly. The deaths were partially due to weather conditions. From our side, we’ve seen cases of both seasonal flu and dengue fever. Many trainees are suffering from these illnesses. One of them had dengue that spread to his brain, and the other died from respiratory complications caused by infection,” said Saw Darko.
He added that nearly 30 other trainees are currently unwell and are resting and receiving medical treatment.
The Instructor has been punished for failing to grant the trainees full access to medical care when they first became ill, said Saw Darko.
“When the trainees started getting sick, the Instructor didn’t act fast enough in coordinating medical care. He didn’t inform us in time. It was a failure of responsibility. So after investigating, we have detained the Instructor,” he said.
The Dawna military column has not yet disclosed how it plans to proceed with possible actions against the instructor for his negligence.
The special forces training program, now in its second cycle, is led by the YGF but also includes fighters from allied revolutionary groups alongside YGF members.
