Need To Relook The Activities Of Soldiers In Operation Calm Life

The incidents at Ejura and other places caused by some Military personnel are a wakeup call for us to relook into the national security efforts in the fight against armed robbery, violent crime, rioters, smuggling activities in Ghana and maybe in the fight against the spread of COVID-19 through the enforcement of the protocols especially wearing of face mask and maybe physical distancing.

As a result of the incident at Ejura, people have been asking who invited the Soldiers to support the police to curb the unfortunate incident at Ejura, which led to the fatal casualties (two reportedly dead by gun wounds) and the wounded persons. For this reason, it is should be noted that due to the current dispensation which has made the Soldiers in town as part of OPERATION CALM LIFE, so depending on their area of mobile patrol duties, they may be directly involved if in they are in the same vehicle with the Police or at nearby area ready to be called into action by the Police (the Team they are working with), that is if in a separate vehicle. This is so because the Military is on daily mobile patrol to dominate their Areas of Responsibilities within the Country as part of a joint operation of Military and Police personnel for OPERATIONS CALM LIFE, which was initially established by the State to combat armed robbery and violent crime.

But the role of the personnel on OPERATIONS CALM LIFE was expanded in 2018 or so to deal with all security and safety risks impugning on National Security, thus it includes against rioting activities hence making the operation to be very ambiguous. I think the exceptions were or are road traffic hazards/incidents and risk associated with sanitation.

Normally, per the Military Internal Security doctrine the Infantry Battalions are to be confined

in the Barracks in each region and are assigned the role of Internal Security Operations for the host Region to support the Police upon a formal request. The Battalion Commanding Officer also assigns the Internal Security Operation for each District in the Region to one of the five Infantry Companies in his Unit and act on formal request by the Police.

The Commanding Officer (CO) attends the meetings of Regional Security Council and the assigned Officer Commanding (OC) of an Infantry Company attends the meetings of the District Security Council (DISEC) for his District or Area of Responsibilities. The meetings are organized monthly or as and when necessary. At these meetings, especially at the Meetings of the Regional Security Council, when required a decision is taken to provide Military personnel to support the Police to deal with a fluid problem or a pending one beyond the capabilities of the Police. The Police may also contact the CO directly for support to deal with a fluid problem. The Commander of the Joint Operation is based on or decided by the state of affairs including which Security Service (Force) is providing more personnel, but with routine operations, the Military provides personnel with the required logistics to the Police to provide a Commander. The Police provides the Joint Operations Headquarters and the Rendezvous (RV) or the Assembling point before start of the operation thus making it to have the true character of a Police Operation. But when the situation is so serious the Military takes over the internal security operations from the Police, so the Police goes to the rear to help in monitoring, arrest of suspects etc as part of the joint operation and also prosecute suspects. This has been the situation in most cases.

But, during the NRC’s/ SMC’s regime of General IK Akyampong and the PNDC era, the Military and the Police were detailed to support the then State Gold Mining Company and the then Ashanti Gold Company, Obuasi in an operation code-named OPERATION DRAGNET for escorting bullion (gold) from the Mine Site to the Airport, Accra. They were for combating likely armed-robbery activities at the Mine Site and en route to Accra during bullion shipment, likewise operations against smuggling of gold and to contain maybe Small Scale Miners (mainly artisanal miners or Galamsey Operators).

Also with the disbandment of the Ghana Border Guards in 1985 by the PNDC, the Military was solely detailed to support COCOBOD in combating the smuggling of cocoa along the Border areas. This was termed OPERATIONS HUNTER. From time to time, the Military especially the Second Infantry Battalion Takoradi provided or provides personnel to support Bank of Ghana’s outpost in the then Western Region (now Western North Region) in an operation termed as OPERATION SAFE. Other operations launched to make use of Soldiers in Internal Security operations included OPERATION HALT to halt the devastation of the forest by both illegal miners and chain saw operators etc that is to protect the environment. Lastly, OPERATION COWLEG to deal with Fulanis and their cattle invasion of farms and attack of farmers respectively.

Before His Excellency ex-President Kofour took over the Administration of Ghana/as the Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces of Ghana in January 2001, there were sudden increase in crime waves especially armed robbery, violent crime (murder) etc beyond the scope of the Police and that saw the increase in the number of Private Security Companies in Ghana. Hence, due to the high incident or the state of armed robbery, violent crime etc in the Country, His Excellency ex-President Kofour, re-launched OPERATION CALM LIFE in 2001. As stated a Joint Operation between the Military and Police to combat armed robbery and violent crime.

The OPERATION CALM LIFE saw Military personnel and Police personnel dominating the Country particularly the major towns/cities especially Accra, Kumasi, Sekondi/Takoradi, Cape Coast, Tamale, Ho, Koforidua with a system of mobile patrols and roadblocks/check points.

Successive Regimes of the NDC and NPP maintained OPERATION CALM LIFE and as stated beside the original role of anti-armed robbery and combating violent crime other challenges of National Security related to security and safety has been assigned to OPERATION CALM LIFE.

In view of the current problems associated with the Military personnel on OPERATION CALM LIFE

the following recommendations are made;

Urgent need to redefine the OPERATION ORDERS for OPERATION CALM LIFE, especially the Rules of Engagement or Use of Minimum Force when dealing with rioters but permitted to deal aggressively with armed robbers

or

OPERATION CALM LIFE should be restricted to the original role of supporting the Police in the combating armed robbers and violent crime perpetrators, so that if the Soldiers happen to move independently (separately from or without Police personnel), then they should be restricted to combating armed robbery and violent crime, hence the Operational Orders, will sound aggressive and not friendly.

As a joint operation of the Police and the Military to ensure effecting of arrest of suspects/search and prosecution of offenders by the Police, it is rather advisable for both parties to move in the same vehicle or in a convey with the Police vehicle leading and under the Command of a Police Officer of the rank of at least ASP, who is to make the direct request for the deployment of soldiers through the field leader of the military troops and for the troop leader to act as per laid down Standard Of Operations (SOP) or Rules of Engagement or Use of Minimum Force.

As a joint operation of the Police and the Military, there is the need for them to conduct joint training or rehearsals, frequently or once in a while.

With the likely increase in demonstration, National Security Council should consider introducing OPERATION CALM DOWN as a separate joint operation by the Military and the Police to deal with crowd dispersal or demonstrators. Hence the Military must improve on their training for Internal Security duties/ Counter Insurgency Training.

It should be noted that the Military takes internal Security duties very seriously, because internal Security operations cover the principal role of the Military in the Democratic Dispensation, as well as duties in search and rescue operations, evacuation, International Peacekeeping, Peace Building and humanitarian operations, aside the Defence of the Country against an external enemy.

Hence, the Military does rigorous training in Riot Control, Crowd Dispersal etc exclusively or sometimes jointly with troops of USA. Example African Crisis Response Initiative (ACRI) introduced by the ex-President Bill Clinton of USA as a humanitarian operation in Support of Africa. I am one of the pioneers who participated in the initial African Crisis Response Initiative training and it was very tough we did riot control, crowd dispersal Negotiation Arbitration etc and other Counter-Insurgency Training. Cadets at the Military Academy undergo both theory and practical training in Internal Security duties including Crowd Dispersal etc, and must pass the Tactics ‘C’ Exam which is a Subject mainly on Internal Security Operations before passing out. Also, Infantry Officers as well as Signal, Amour and Artillery Officers of the Ghana Army for promotion from Lieutenant to Captain and Captain to Major are required to pass same Tactics C exams in addition to exam in Combat tactics, current affairs, Military Law and other subjects at their levels before they can be promoted. So it is not true that all Military personnel are deficient in dealing with rioters or on crowd control duties.

The above narrations give some of the roles of the Military in the Modern Democracy or National Development and need to review OPERATION CALM LIFE to the original role.