On August 9 at approximately 10:10 p.m. local time, a shooting incident targeting security staff at Zijin Rosebel Gold Mines (ZiJin/RGM) left one guard injured in the Royal Hill concession area of the company’s Surinamese operations, marking the most serious event in a growing string of violent attacks by unauthorized intruders on mine personnel. The injured guard was shot from the surrounding forest while conducting a routine patrol, hit by six lead pellets in his lower left leg. After receiving initial on-site first aid at the mine, he was transferred to the emergency department of the Academic Hospital Paramaribo, where he remains under ongoing care. Company representatives confirmed that the mine’s management is closely monitoring the guard’s condition and providing all necessary support for his treatment and recovery.
This shooting is not an isolated incident, ZiJin/RGM emphasized. Just one week earlier, on August 2, a second security officer was attacked with stones thrown by unauthorized intruders, losing a tooth in the assault. Mine patrol teams assigned to monitor open pit areas have also faced repeated stone-throwing attacks over recent weeks. These consecutive events have created escalating safety risks for the mine’s security personnel, who are tasked with maintaining order and safety across the concession. The company called the August 9 shooting the most severe violent confrontation recorded in the area in recent months.
All incidents have been formally reported to Surinamese law enforcement authorities. ZiJin/RGM has called on local officials to launch a prompt, thorough investigation to identify the perpetrators and hold them legally accountable for the attacks. Beyond the investigation, the mining firm is pushing for strengthened, authority-led patrols across the concession, alongside what it describes as “lawful, necessary and proportional measures” to protect human life and preserve public order in the active mining region.
ZiJin/RGM reaffirmed that it operates legally within its granted concession boundaries, and noted that all its security personnel operate under a formal code of conduct centered on restraint, de-escalation and non-violent response to incursions. The company confirmed that despite repeated attacks, security teams have maintained this restrained approach to all interactions with intruders. The mine also highlighted the inherent extreme dangers of unauthorized presence in active mining zones: open pit mining operations carry severe inherent safety hazards, so the company enforces measures to prevent unauthorized entry to protect all people in and around the concession. This commitment to safety, the firm noted, extends to all groups: its own employees, contract workers, neighboring community residents, and artisanal small-scale gold prospectors alike.
“No person working to maintain safety and order should be subjected to gunfire, stone attacks, or any other form of violence,” a company spokesperson stated. “Every worker has the right to return home safely at the end of their shift.”