informal gold rush in Southeastern Suriname

UNCLAS PARAMARIBO 000014

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON EMIN KPAO SENV TSPL NS
SUBJECT: informal gold rush in Southeastern Suriname

REF: 09 PARAMARIBO 438


1. (SBU) SUMMARY. Post's three Entry Level Officers recently
organized Embassy Paramaribo's first annual "Entry Level Officer
Interior Outreach Legacy Project," visiting east central Suriname,
a remote, difficult-to-reach area populated primarily by Njuka
Maroons (descendants of escaped slaves),which had not been visited
by U.S. Embassy personnel for seven years. Although the purpose of
the trip was public diplomacy outreach, Emboffs observed pervasive,
environmentally-degrading artisanal and small scale gold mining
(ASGM) at nearly every turn in this greenstone belt region, an area
known for its gold deposits and associated colluvial and alluvial
mining. While Emboffs did not witness any competitive tensions
between the Maroons and Brazilians (the primary local
demographics),the near complete absence of law enforcement in the
interior and Albina greatly limits the Government of Suriname's
capability to deter and respond to escalating tensions and
violence, such as the violence that erupted on Christmas Eve in
Albina (Suriname's main urban center on the eastern border with
French Guiana and Brazil). Gaining control of the informal mining
sector also is very difficult, due to political considerations,
including strong opposition by Maroon interests. END SUMMARY.




2. (SBU) Embassy Paramaribo's three Entry Level Officers (ELOs)
outreach on this trip focused on Dritabiki, Manlobi,
Stoelmanseiland, and Loka Loka - all villages along the Tapanahoni
and Marowijne rivers in this greenstone belt region. Public
Diplomacy is the cornerstone of U.S. engagement in Suriname and the
number one goal in Post's most recent Mission Strategic Plan Goal.
This program delivered Embassy outreach deep into the interior, in
an area which had not been visited by Embassy personnel for seven
years. The trip consisted of courtesy calls on prominent community
leaders, modest donations to local schools, American Movie Nights,
and American sports and classes for youth. The trip also fostered
an esprit de corps among the three ELOs, who work in different
Embassy sections. The outreach commenced in Dritabiki and was
continued as Emboffs traveled four days by dugout canoe down the
Tapanahoni and Marowijne rivers. At the end, the Emboffs reached
Albina, Suriname's northeastern city on the border with French
Guiana, and transferred to an automobile for the return to
Paramaribo.




3. (SBU) At the start of the trip, Emboffs flew to Dritabiki, the
cultural heartland of the Njuka Maroon tribe (descendants of
escaped slaves),via Godoholo, a neighboring village with a basic
air strip. Shortly after departing Paramaribo and entering the
airspace of the greenstone belt, Emboffs realized they were
observing an informal gold rush from the air, as they looked down
on hundreds of tracts of land presumably mined for colluvial gold
deposits. Suriname's gold deposits are contained in an extensive
Precambrian greenstone belt that encompasses 24,000 square
kilometers in eastern Suriname. Gold mining occurs primarily in
Eastern Suriname and around Lake Brokopondo. According to
observation and secondary sources, most of the gold deposits in
Suriname are mined from colluvial (weathered rock accumulated by
soil creep at the base of a slope) or alluvial (detrital deposits
of rivers) deposits.




4. (SBU) While travelling along the Tapanahoni and Marowijne
rivers, Emboffs saw approximately 15 floating suction dredges
excavating alluvial material. These dredges - cookie-cutter and
uniform in appearance - were operated by Brazilians, according to
observation and several discussions. The sediment is pumped into a
large sluice box some 20 feet wide and 30 feet tall to separate the
heavier sediment containing gold from other lighter detrital
materials. Mercury is added to this heavier sediment and the
amalgamation is subsequently heated, causing the mercury, which has
a lower boiling point than gold, to burn off - into the atmosphere
in most cases, according to conversations and secondary sources.
As these rivers are replete with rocks and rapids, it would be
impossible for these dredges to have been floated up or downriver
to their current locations - suggesting that they were transported
in pieces and assembled on location. Several individuals indicated
that these dredges operate 24 hours a day and that they pay a
royalty fee to the closest Maroon village allegedly ranging from
10% to 20% of the total gold mined.




5. (SBU) As no suitable housing could be found in Manlobi, the
second night's destination and a village of about 1000 individuals
along the Tapanahoni river, Emboffs spent one night in a gold
mining camp across the river from the village. The camp consisted
of a bar, restaurant, and store which sold overpriced supplies.

Some 20 Brazilians, 5-10 of whom likely were commercial sex
workers, and a few Maroons lived on site. The site's well-trodden
dirt path into the bush indicated that miners frequently visited
via ATVs from their various mining camps. Emboffs did not directly
observe any colluvial mining.




6. (SBU) Although Brazilians are typically associated with
artisanal and small scale gold mining (ASGM) by everyday
Surinamers, Emboffs also observed sluice boxes and small-scale
mining operations in nearly every Maroon village along the journey.
According to several interlocutors, mercury is easily available for
purchase in many small bodega-like stores common in the interior,
many of which are run by newly immigrated Chinese. In one such
shop, Emboffs were offered an approximate 200 milliliter bottle of
mercury. As per several conversations, wide-spread perception, and
secondary sources, mercury used in the process frequently pollutes
the rivers, creeks, and atmosphere. According to the World
Wildlife Foundation (WWF) Guianas, approximately 5,000 KG of
mercury is sold to miners annually in Suriname (based on a survey
of small retailers). According to the USGS's 2007 Minerals
Handbook, U.S. exports of amalgams of mercury alloys with one or
more other metals to Suriname totaled 118 metric tons in 2007.




7. (SBU) Suriname's informal gold mining sector is relatively
large. During an October 27 courtesy call on the Ambassador, the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) team covering Suriname said they
estimated that $500 to $600 million of the $800 to $900 million
legally declared gold exports comes from the informal sector.
(Note: Suriname's Minister of Natural Resources cited a similar
figure during an introductory meeting with the Ambassador.)
IAMGold, the sole international company operating in the gold
sector, local Surinamese gold mining companies, and AGSM miners
sell their gold to the four companies licensed by the Central Bank
to export gold.




8. (SBU) The informal sector also is not paying the royalties to
the Government of Suriname (GOS) that are required of IAMGold and
any other mining corporations that might wish to operate here.
According to Article 41 of Suriname's Constitution, "natural riches
and resources are property of the nation and shall be used to
promote economic, social and cultural development. The nation
shall have the inalienable right to take complete possession of the
natural resources in order to apply them to the needs of the
economic, social and cultural development of Suriname." Although
Suriname's Ministry of Natural Resources has responsibility for
allocating mining concessions, and does so when international
companies are interested in operating in Suriname, most ASGM miners
do not seek legal endorsement of their activities, according to
conversations and secondary sources. As such, Suriname's taxpayers
also miss out on the benefit of whatever royalties would have been
received.




9. (SBU) COMMENT. With gold prices at near-record highs, eastern
Suriname is experiencing an informal gold rush. As this area is
remote and difficult to access, monitoring and oversight by the GOS
is limited. The use of mercury in the interior is unregulated and
by all accounts is causing environmental damage to the area's
creeks and rivers; the same water sources used by numerous villages
for drinking water. We understand that health studies regarding
mercury poisoning are being considered, but we have not seen any
results. ASGM appears to be increasingly integral to the
livelihood of many Maroon families, however, with one survey
conducted by anthropologist Marieke Heemskerk suggesting that a
majority of households in certain villages obtain income directly
or indirectly from gold mining. Given this likely economic
dependency, and the remoteness of AGSM mining in eastern Suriname,
tackling the environmentally-degrading use of mercury is extremely
challenging. The GOS depends on a coalition that includes five
vital seats from Maroon political parties, and those interests
reportedly resist any effort to bring the sector under control.




10. (SBU) While Emboffs did not witness any competitive tensions
between the Maroons and Brazilians, such as those that caused the
recent ethnic violence in Albina (reftel),the absence of strong
law enforcement in Albina and the interior limits the GOS's
capability to deter and respond to such unrest. Albina, situated
on Suriname's eastern border just across the Marowijne River from
French Guiana, is a rough border town with few border controls and
is the key jumping off or supply point for many of Suriname's
illegal small scale gold miners. According to popular (but

unconfirmed) speculation, one source of the escalating tensions may
be the increase in gold prices and the possibility that certain
Maroon leaders are demanding increased royalty fees as a result.
END COMMENT.
NAY