A GIGN gendarme was shot dead this morning in Maripasoula during an illegal anti-gold panning operation. After his death, the Prefect of Guyana, the Commander of the Gendarmerie and the Guyana Prosecutor held a press conference at the Madeleine Barracks.
Ludmïa Lewis • Posted March 25, 2023 at 3:57 PM, updated March 25, 2023 at 5:46 PM
This Saturday at 4.10 p.m. a press conference was organized after the death in the premises of the Madeleine (Cayenne) gendarmerie barracks of Sergeant Arnaud Blanc. The prefect Thierry Queffelec, the commander of the gendarmerie Jean-Christophe Sintive and the prosecutor Joël Sollier revealed details of the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
Madeleine Gendarmerie Barracks • ©Ludmïa LEWIS
This morning, around 5:30 a.m., as the soldiers were mining for carbohydrates as part of an operation to combat illegal gold panning, They were confronted by armed people. The scene took place in the Dorlin sector in the heart of the Guyanese Forest in Maripasoula. Arnaud Blanc, Chief Sergeant, was immediately touched.
The teams, composed of gendarmes and members of the Guyana Armed Forces, then withdrew and fired back violently. When Arnaud Blanc was cared for by the on-site health assistant, that wasn’t enough. It was too late. At the moment there is no element that allows knowing the type of weapon that caused his death.
At the moment we don’t know who we had in front
Jean-Christophe SINTIVE, Commander of the Guyana Gendarmerie
It is also stated that the goal today is to take over the site to allow for the judicial investigation. “Once the location is relocated and secured again, we can begin work“Investigations,” said the prosecutor. The facts should be qualified as “murder in an organized gang”.
The Dorlin sector was “really gold-bearing,” underlined the commander of the gendarmerie. Because of this, illegal miners are very present there. Their presence is estimated at 300 garimpeiros when the armed forces are not there.. Before the authorities decided to increase their presence in this sector, there were about 1,500 illegal gold miners.
Note that Arnaud Blanc’s body will be autopsied this afternoon. The three representatives recalled that the information could not be more precise due to the ongoing investigation.