Panorama: A Day with FROG and IDAP
A rare look inside aid and security operations on Malden
It happens rarely that you get actively invited to a drive-out. So I was initially surprised when FROG, IDAP’s security provider on Malden, offered exactly that.
We settled on 10 AM in the morning, under the heavy rain clouds of a Malden wet season. Upon arrival, a well organized little convoy of three vehicles greeted me; two FROG and one IDAP, the IDAP track being loaded with supplies bound for Le Port.
The drive was uneventful. We were stopped by ION during a routine search, passed flags pledging allegiance to the Guérilla Populaire and ultimately arrived met with none other than Jesus Larue. Readers of mine are undoubtedly familiar with one of the founding members of the GP and the man who brokered the alliance with Blanchard and the CdV. After a short exchange, GP Le Port pledged to warehouse supplies for IDAP and even offered barracks for personnel.
I learned quite a bit how IDAP and FROG operate and it bears repeating that the aid that has been distributed, even during bombings and shots fired, has made a measurable impact on the population.
The second half of our trip took us to the south-west end of the island. FROG attempted to recover a vehicle that was emitting a radio signal that’s connected to the bombing incident that occured last week. Upon our arrival, it was already gone.