French Marines train Surinamese armed forces.

As part of the operational military partnership, the French 9th Marine Infantry Regiment (9th Régiment d’Infanterie de Marine, 9 RIMa) regularly conducts operational training detachments (DIOs) for the benefit of soldiers of the Surinam Armed Forces.

A French instructor is teaching a Surinamese soldier how to use an AK-57 Dragunov for long-distance shooting (Picture source: French MoD)

On the Ayoko camp, two DIOs were implemented in the field of combat shooting. The first focused on the handgun allowed 11 Surinamese soldiers to review the operational control of light weapons. The trainees then continued with combat in urban areas. A sniper DIO was conducted with the aim of teaching the basics of long-distance shooting and marksmanship. 9 members of the Surinam Armed Forces have learned to camouflage themselves, infiltrate short distances, place themselves in a wooded area or in a locality and to appreciate a distance and treat a target between 0 and 500m with the AK-57 Dragunov sniper rifle. It was the first DIO in this specialized field.

In Paramaribo, a dozen Surinamese soldiers have been trained in the field of maintenance. Pilots, mechanics, electrician and engineering personnel were able to learn more about the operation of an engine and the maintenance and adjustments to be made. Their knowledge was then put into practice on light vehicles and heavy vehicles available to FAS.

The 9th RIMa instructors also taught more than 40 Surinamese soldiers the basics of first aid in combat, with a particular emphasis on survival gestures with regulatory equipment or makeshift equipment even under fire and emergency release.

The new skills acquired by the trainees will be implemented shortly along the Maroni River at the border of the two countries during Franco-Surinamese joint operations against illegal gold panning. The 9th RIMa trains nearly 150 Surinamese soldiers each year.

Armed with 2,100 soldiers, the Armed Forces in Guyana (FAG) carry out missions to support the action of the State and contribute to missions of sovereignty. As such, they guarantee the protection of the national territory, and contribute to the maintenance of security in the zone of permanent single Caribbean responsibility (ZRP), to the fight against illegal gold washing (Harpie operation), to the security of the Guyanese space center (Operation Titan), and the fight against illegal fishing. As part of their fisheries policing mission, the FAG guarantee the sovereignty of France over the waters under its jurisdiction, meet the international commitments made by France in the field of preservation of fisheries resources, and combat illegal maritime activities.