At least two people died in riots in the Surinamese district of Para on Tuesday. That report Surinamese media, who report that the victims were shot. Three police officers in the area were injured.
The unrest started on Tuesday when a local police station and an office of the national forest management authority SBB in the village of Pikin Saron were attacked. The police station burned down completely, as did ten trucks with piles of wood on top that were at the SBB office. The insurgents and police officers allegedly shot at each other, including with shotguns and automatic weapons.
Later in the day, a gold mine belonging to the Surinamese mining company Grassalco in nearby Maripaston was attacked. Armed people entered the concession, shot an employee and took some employees hostage. They were taken in vehicles by masked men and later released.
Government deploys army
Surinamese President Chan Santokhi met in an emergency meeting with the highest security authorities in the country and has, among other things, deployed the army to restore order in the area. He has also expressed his horror at the attack and promised a tough approach to the insurgents.
It has been unsettled for some time in Para, where a lot of large-scale forestry and gold mining takes place. Inhabitants of the area, including the indigenous population, believe that they benefit too little from the mining activities. According to the indigenous population, new mines are also being opened in the area without them being allowed to talk about it. Two weeks ago, a group of demonstrators also entered a gold concession of Grassalco to protest against the state of affairs.