2009 Albina, Suriname riots Location of Albina within Suriname | |
---|---|
Location |
Albina, ![]() |
Date | December 24–25, 2009 ( UTC-3) |
Deaths | 1 [1] |
Injured | At least 24 |
The 2009 Albina, Suriname riots took place on December 24–25, 2009, [2] when local maroon inhabitants attacked Brazilian, Chinese, Colombian and Peruvian gold miners after a man was stabbed to death by a Brazilian. [3]
One death was confirmed by the local police authorities, but Roman Catholic Brazilian priest José Vergílio, which was aiding the victims, said that at least seven people died. [2] [4] According to minister Chan Santokhi of Justice and Police this information was not confirmed. He stated that the stabbed person was the only one killed. [5]
Vehicles and houses were burned and stores owned by Chinese were plundered. [6] According to the Surinamese government, 20 women were raped, one of which was pregnant and lost her baby in the trauma. [2] [7]
At least 24 people were injured during the riots. [8] The injured were transported to a military hospital, while the Brazilians living in Albina were transferred to Paramaribo. [8] Brazilians and Chinese living in the region have been evacuated. [4] According to eyewitnesses, 17 people are missing. [2]
The Brazilian government sent a diplomatic mission on December 27, 2009, to attend the Brazilian victims. [9] Five Brazilians returned to Brazil on December 27 on an airplane of the Brazilian Air Force. [10] On December 28, an airplane with capacity for 40 people was sent to the city with the purpose of rescuing more Brazilians. [10] The Surinamese government sent in troops to conduct searches and keep the peace, although violence is over by all accounts. [2] Suriname officials have come out saying they have the forces to protect all foreigners in the country and have already taken several people into custody for questioning. [2] 35 suspects were arrested on December 28, according to the city's chief of police, Krishna Mathoera-Hussainali. [10]
Albina is primarily a base for nomadic gold prospectors. [2] The town is made up of people from Suriname, neighboring French Guiana, the People's Republic of China and Brazil. [2]
There are between 15,000 and 18,000 Brazilian nomad gold diggers in Suriname, or about 4% of the total population of the country, most of them living illegally. [2] They are some of the poorest people in Brazil, mostly from the Northeast Region. [2]
Tensions in gold prospecting villages like Albina are not sporadic, but violence is quite uncommon. [2] Gold diggers often come in conflict with indigenous people in their search to find and extract gold from remote areas. [2]
2009 Albina, Suriname riots Location of Albina within Suriname | |
---|---|
Location |
Albina, ![]() |
Date | December 24–25, 2009 ( UTC-3) |
Deaths | 1 [1] |
Injured | At least 24 |
The 2009 Albina, Suriname riots took place on December 24–25, 2009, [2] when local maroon inhabitants attacked Brazilian, Chinese, Colombian and Peruvian gold miners after a man was stabbed to death by a Brazilian. [3]
One death was confirmed by the local police authorities, but Roman Catholic Brazilian priest José Vergílio, which was aiding the victims, said that at least seven people died. [2] [4] According to minister Chan Santokhi of Justice and Police this information was not confirmed. He stated that the stabbed person was the only one killed. [5]
Vehicles and houses were burned and stores owned by Chinese were plundered. [6] According to the Surinamese government, 20 women were raped, one of which was pregnant and lost her baby in the trauma. [2] [7]
At least 24 people were injured during the riots. [8] The injured were transported to a military hospital, while the Brazilians living in Albina were transferred to Paramaribo. [8] Brazilians and Chinese living in the region have been evacuated. [4] According to eyewitnesses, 17 people are missing. [2]
The Brazilian government sent a diplomatic mission on December 27, 2009, to attend the Brazilian victims. [9] Five Brazilians returned to Brazil on December 27 on an airplane of the Brazilian Air Force. [10] On December 28, an airplane with capacity for 40 people was sent to the city with the purpose of rescuing more Brazilians. [10] The Surinamese government sent in troops to conduct searches and keep the peace, although violence is over by all accounts. [2] Suriname officials have come out saying they have the forces to protect all foreigners in the country and have already taken several people into custody for questioning. [2] 35 suspects were arrested on December 28, according to the city's chief of police, Krishna Mathoera-Hussainali. [10]
Albina is primarily a base for nomadic gold prospectors. [2] The town is made up of people from Suriname, neighboring French Guiana, the People's Republic of China and Brazil. [2]
There are between 15,000 and 18,000 Brazilian nomad gold diggers in Suriname, or about 4% of the total population of the country, most of them living illegally. [2] They are some of the poorest people in Brazil, mostly from the Northeast Region. [2]
Tensions in gold prospecting villages like Albina are not sporadic, but violence is quite uncommon. [2] Gold diggers often come in conflict with indigenous people in their search to find and extract gold from remote areas. [2]