It was for a long time the emblematic assault rifle of the French army. It will now be worn by the Surinamese military. As part of the fight against illegal gold panning and illegal fishing, the Surinamese army inherited the famous FAMAS, noted the Military Zone website.
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On the occasion of this visit, the France delivered various military equipment worth one million euros to the Surinamese armed forces in the presence of the civil and military authorities of both countries, including the France ambassador, Nicolas de Lacoste. More than 55 m3 of equipment [mainly FAMAS rifles and their ammunition] were transported to Paramaribo by the Armed Forces in Guyana," the France embassy in Suriname said in a statement issued on September 19.
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"Guiana Shield"
Little known, but crucial. This is how military cooperation between France and Suriname could be characterized. This small South American country shares no less than 520km of common borders with French Guiana. Since 2021, this cooperation has been part of the "Guiana Shield Strategic Dialogue", an initiative launched by the France and in which Guyana and Brazil are also participating.
Suriname's military capabilities are very limited. Currently, their soldiers are equipped mainly with AK-47 Kalashnikov and FN FAL assault rifles dating from the 1950s. The arrival of FAMAS, which dates from the late 1970s, will give this armament if not a new youth, at least an additional level in terms of quality and reliability. As a reminder, the French army gradually stopped using the FAMAS from 2017 by replacing it with the German HK-416F.
"This freemilitary equipment conference is the largest ever carried out with a partner in the Guiana Plateau," explains the France Embassy in Suriname, "it will be accompanied by various operational, technical and security training, in particular on the Savannah firing range in central Suriname which has just been rehabilitated by the 9th Marine Infantry Regiment [RIMa].
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