Following a video conference on Monday, the governments of Guyana and Suriname have agreed to immediately implement measures to ensure that riverine communities are able to engage in legitimate movements on the Corentyne River during the current COVID-19 lockdown.
The conference was convened following complaints from two Amerindian villages, Orealla and Siparuta, located on the Corentyne River.
In a report to the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) on Saturday, Carl Peneux, Toshao of Orealla, indicated that Suriname’s authorities had closed access to the Corentyne River due to their implemented curfew. This closure has been preventing travel to and from Corriverton resulting in a shortage of food and fuel for the village’s generating set and mechanical water-pump, among other essentials.
Residents along rivers usually have riparian rights to the waters.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, both sides underscored the importance of operating in a spirit of cooperation and strong solidarity in an effort to fight the disease and though both sides of the border remain closed they have agreed to “immediately implement measures to ensure that riverine communities are able to commute and conduct their businesses, to and from points within their respective countries”.
This commute will occur “under proper surveillance in order to ensure that the protocols to combat the spread of the novel Coronavirus are not compromised.” It is not clear which agencies will be expected to provide this surveillance.
“The two sides emphasized that the arrangements that have been put in place will respect the fact that their respective borders remain closed and that their nationals must not endeavour to enter into the territory of the other,” the statements stressed, adding that a mechanism for information sharing between the relevant institutions and agencies of the two countries has also been established.
This mechanism will “allow for the conduct of legitimate movements on the Corentyne River and to prevent illegal activities, including the movements of persons and goods between the two countries.”
The statement further notes that both parties reiterated their commitment to continue to work together to meet the challenges posed by the global pandemic.
Specifically after highlighting their successes and challenges in managing the disease on the medical front, Guyana and Suriname agreed to establish a mechanism through which their health personnel can share information.
The also discussed the need for cooperation in the areas of security, immigration and social protection, to strengthen both their national and collective responses to the crisis caused by the global pandemic.
