CHAPTER 3
YEAR OF OPERATIONS : 1969

7.  REBELLION IN THE SOUTH

Soldiers throughout the Force returned to work on 2 January 1969 after a short new year holiday break. The previous year had ended with victory for the PNC party at the National elections in December. Guyana was settling down to a further four year period of growth and stability and the GDF looked forward to further training and improvement. Just about lunch-time on that day, news began filtering through about a disturbance in the Rupununi. As the day wore on the situation was to become clearer; the disturbance was insurrection! A gang of bandits armed with modern small arms, had launched an uprising throughout the Rupununi district. The objective was clearly to show their opposition to the newly elected PNC Government and to seize a large chunk of Guyanese territory for their own selfish purposes. The leading desperadoes came from the big Hart and Melville clans which dominated private cattle rearing business in the Rupununi savannahs. Evidently they had armed a few of their retainers, pressed them into service and set about their wicked mission to overthrow the authority of the Central Government. Within 18 hours, troops of the second battalion had been air-transported to the area and re-occupied Lethem - the seat of administration in the district, and the main target of rebel operations. In succeeding days, patrols scoured the vast savannahs and re-established peace and tranquility where the sudden armed outburst had introduced terror and panic. As the population saw the GDF was in full control of the district,