In the Surinamese town of Albina, which lies on the border with French Guiana, 35 people have been arrested in connection with the violence of the past few days. The arrested include men identified as rapists by Brazilian women.
The Surinamese government sent soldiers to the town after fighting broke out on Thursday between the local Marron population and Brazilian and Chinese migrants, most of whom are searching for gold. At least 13 people were injured in the fighting, while 20 foreign women claimed they were raped.
Although tensions between the foreign gold diggers and the local population have been growing for some time, this is the worst outbreak of violence yet. The Marron community says migrants have bribed the police in Albina so they can break the law with impunity.
Map showing Albina in Surinam by Google maps
Map by Google maps
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Very pitiable situation. All are greedy for gold, Thats the thing creating all the problem. So many innocent people have lost their lives.
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