France has donated several hundred FAMAS bullpup rifles to Suriname’s armed forces. Suriname borders French Guiana and has a military partnership with France. The press release from the French embassy in Paramaribo, Suriname’s capital, noted that 55 cubic meters of equipment ‘mostly FAMAS rifles and their ammunition’ had been delivered. Press reports note that this equates to around 300 rifles.

Around 1 million Euros ($1 million) in equipment was transferred coinciding with a visit by Général de brigade aérienne Marc Le Bouil, the officer commanding French forces in French Guiana. The FAMAS may have been deemed surplus as the new HK416F continues to be rolled out. The small Suriname National Army is largely equipped with FN FALs and AKM-pattern rifles.

Defense equipment delivered to Suriname (French Embassy to Suriname)

Here is the French Suriname embassy’s statement in full:

Air Brigadier General Marc LE BOUIL, accompanied by a large delegation from his staff, went to Paramaribo for a first visit on September 14 and 15, 2023 at the invitation of the Surinamese armed forces.

General Le Bouil held discussions with the Minister of Defense, Ms. Krishna Mathoera, as well as with the Chief of Staff of the Surinamese Armed Forces, Colonel Werner Kioe A Sen. The general visited the premises of the French embassy in Suriname and Guyana, where a competent defense mission for these two countries has been deployed since August 1, 2023.

This visit is part of the Franco-Surinamese military partnership and cooperation between the Armed Forces of Guyana and the Armed Forces of Suriname. France is providing assistance for the modernization of Suriname’s armed forces.

On the occasion of this visit, France delivered various military equipment worth one million Euros to the Surinamese armed forces in the presence of the civil and military authorities of the two countries, including the French Ambassador Nicolas de Lacoste. More than 55m3 of equipment (mainly FAMAS rifles and their ammunition) were transported to Paramaribo by the Armed Forces in Guyana.

This free transfer of military equipment is the largest ever carried out with a partner from the Guiana Plateau. It will be accompanied by various operational, technical and security training, in particular on the Savannah shooting range in central Suriname which has just been rehabilitated by the 9th Marine Infantry Regiment.

This transfer illustrates the desire of the two countries to combine their efforts, with greater interoperability, to fight together against illicit trafficking (gold mining, fishing and drugs, etc.) which undermines their sovereignty.