Lawmakers in Suriname call for investigation, stricter oversight amid new mining activity
Two members of Suriname's National Assembly, Rabindre Parmessar and Michael Marengo, are calling on President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons to investigate and temporarily halt mining at Pelin Bergi near Kwakoegron, after observing large-scale excavations and signs of cyanide use via heap leaching during a September visit. Cyanide import and use is heavily restricted in Suriname, and the lawmakers say the activity raises questions about permitting, oversight and whether state revenues have been protected.
The site sits within an area of interest for a joint venture between Rosebel Gold Mines, a Zijin Mining Group subsidiary, and state energy company Staatsolie; local media report that RGM holds exploration rights but not mining rights, and that those extracting gold do not work for the company. Cyanide runoff could threaten the Saramacca and Suriname rivers, which supply drinking water and support fishing for Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities.
Neither the president's office nor the companies involved responded to requests for comment. The lawmakers want public prosecutors, environmental agencies, tax authorities and hazardous-chemical specialists to jointly investigate, calling the matter a test of whether the state has any real control over its own natural resources.
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