Delivery of humanitarian aid to Venezuela
Following the powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela on 24 June 2026, a vessel belonging to the Armed Forces in the West Indies set sail from Guadeloupe to deliver emergency supplies. In response to the damage caused by these earthquakes, which measured 7.5 and 7.2 on the Richter scale, the French military has been mobilised to assist the local population.
Having been alerted on 25 June, the Overseas Support and Assistance Vessel (BSAOM) set sail from Martinique on 4 July bound for Guadeloupe to load 44 tonnes of humanitarian and essential supplies, including tents, groundsheets, solar lamps, cooking and hygiene kits, jerrycans, a pick-up truck, and several pallets of water packs. This cargo has been provided by the French Red Cross via the Americas-Caribbean Regional Intervention Platform (PIRAC), as well as by private organisations and the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs via the Crisis and Support Centre (CDCS). The deployment of the Armed Forces in the Antilles comes on top of the deployment of 90 personnel from the 4th and 7th Civil Protection Training and Intervention Regiments. These personnel are putting their specialist search and rescue capabilities in collapsed structures at the service of local communities.
