"Plans for bauxite mine in Suriname reignite Indigenous land rights debate", 16 January 2025

...Plans for a major mining project in western Suriname have sounded alarms in nearby Indigenous communities, who say that the project will destroy local ecosystems, violate their land rights and encroach on their traditional ways of life.

A bauxite mine run by Chinese corporation Chinalco could begin operating in 2026, with first construction work planned for the middle of this year. The scale of the project has worried activists, who say the government is prioritizing the economy over the rights of its citizens...

The mine, located near the village of Bakhuis, will require refurbishing and expanding infrastructure for a harbor and railroad built in the 1970s, and gives the company “priority right” to use the Corantijn river for dredging, a process involving the removal of riverbed sediment. The company also has first rights to any other minerals found in the area...

A memorandum of understanding was signed by the government and Chinalco in late November 2024, before residents were officially informed of the mine, according to the Association of Indigenous Village Leaders (VIDS), which represents all 51 Indigenous villages in Suriname. Government officials say the consultation process started before the memorandum of understanding but accelerated once it was signed because the terms of the project were clearer.

VIDS said the timeline violates their rights to be consulted about the project, which should only go forward once officials have requested “free, prior and informed consent.” Activists said there is nothing “free” or “prior” about signing a memorandum of understanding while still carrying out a consultation or waiting on a parliament vote...

Chinalco couldn’t be reached for comment for this story...

Last month, village leaders sent a letter to President Chan Santokhi asking for open dialogue and that the project be “put on hold” until a consultation process could be carried out. They haven’t received a response, according to one VIDS member who spoke to Mongabay...