France provides food to Indigenous villages

France on Friday provided food and basic goods to Indigenous villages. The Indigenous village of Kwamalasamutu was the first Amerindian village to receive humanitarian aid from the French. The French provide food to villages that have been hit hard by COVID19, floods and isolation.

The French embassy issued a press release, announcing that it will not organize a reception on July 14, 2020. The money of this annual event had been spent on purchasing humanitarian supplies for the Indigenous communities in the hinterland. The French embassy wanted to make a gesture to honor the brotherhood and friendship between France and it Surinamese neighbors. “In these rough times of the pandemic solidarity and mutual help are needed.

The French embassy is honored to lend a helping hand and thanks the Amazon Conservation Team for making this project possible. With the help of the NGO Amazon Conservation Team 280 emergency aid parcels that weigh 4,000 kilogram in total will be distributed. The first flight of the embassy left for Kwamalasamutu on Friday,”

said the French embassy in its press release. The French and Surinamese authorities met on Thursday and agreed to carry out joint operations along the border between both countries in order to contain COVID-19.

There has been an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases including in the villages of Maripasoela, Grand Santi and Apatoe. The French reported 21 new cases in these areas. They also reported an alarming increase of COVID-19 cases in their Indigenous regions. The MZ has deployed a doctor to its clinic in Kawmehakan even though it has not received any unusual reports.

One of the issues that was discussed between both countries is the fact that people cross the river to get tested in neighboring French Guiana but that the French do not share the information with the MZ at a fast pace. The same people get tested a second time when teams from the MZ visit these regions. Both countries agreed to deploy joint teams.