A tragic incident at Zijin Rosebel Gold Mines’ Royal Hill Pit in Suriname escalated into violent unrest on Friday evening, resulting in significant property destruction and requiring military intervention. The crisis began when an illegal gold miner fell to his death at the northwest sector of the mining operation, triggering a chain of events that would see vehicles torched, equipment destroyed, and security forces attacked.
According to preliminary reports, the mine’s control room received an emergency alert at approximately 7:08 PM from a supervisor who had been approached by illegal miners seeking assistance for the fallen individual. Mine security, police, and military personnel were immediately dispatched to the location.
The response teams encountered immediate hostility upon arrival at 7:20 PM. Illegal miners launched a barrage of stones at emergency vehicles, preventing access to the victim. The situation deteriorated radically at 7:53 PM when protesters set fire to a Komatsu mining vehicle, forcing mine operators to order a complete evacuation of the Royal Hill Pit. All legitimate employees were successfully extracted from the dangerous area, where an estimated fifty illegal miners were present.
Later that evening, security forces and fire crews attempted to return and contain the spreading fires but were again driven back by stone-throwing aggressors. By this time, the number of illegal miners had swelled to approximately two hundred individuals.
The violence resulted in extensive damage to mining infrastructure, including the complete destruction of multiple security posts, loading units, and vehicles—among them a Land Cruiser and Ford Ranger. Remarkably, no employees sustained physical injuries during the confrontations.
Reinforcements were summoned from Paramaribo between midnight and early morning to restore order. In a parallel development, family members of the deceased illegal miner arrived at Zijin’s main entrance and were escorted by authorities to identify the victim.
An official investigation into both the circumstances surrounding the fatal fall and the subsequent violent outbreak remains ongoing, with authorities working to determine the precise sequence of events that led to this destructive escalation.