Carib Scope

标签： Suriname

苏里南

  • Climbing Creek – de stille ramp (1)

    Climbing Creek – de stille ramp (1)

    There are some landscapes that embed themselves in your memory the moment you set foot on them. Climbing Creek, a freshwater swamp in Nickerie, Suriname, is one such place — but it is slowly being poisoned by saltwater, a catastrophe caused not by natural climate shift, but by an unregulated man-made canal dug three years ago. I joined a small team of military personnel on a journey into the heart of the swamp to document the damage and meet the team working to undo what has been broken. I’m writing this story not because it is pretty, but because it demands to be told.

    It was early morning when our group gathered at Wageningen’s irrigation canal, the only access point to Climbing Creek. We knew this would not be an ordinary trip, but nothing could prepare us for what we would witness. Fifteen minutes after we arrived, the rumble of an outboard motor cut through the morning air — our boat had arrived. Stowing our backpacks, packed full of water, fruit and sweet buns, we climbed aboard, ready for the journey ahead. Even in these early hours, the tropical sun beat down heavily as our small aluminum craft cut through the canal’s waters.

    The opening stretch of the trip was deceptively beautiful: dense greenery lined both banks, tall drought-stressed trees stood along the water’s edge, and coastal shorebirds foraged for their first meal of the day. Occasionally, fish jumped into our boat by accident, which we gently released back into the water. With four people on board including the skipper, the 15-horsepower engine wove carefully through dense vegetation, the captain working tirelessly to avoid reeds, roots, driftwood and abandoned fishing nets from catching in the propeller — a task that required considerable skill.

    Three bends into the canal, we reached the small dam that normally requires our boat to be hauled across by hand. But the water level in Climbing Creek was far too low to allow through passage. We had no choice but to wait for a second boat to be sent from deeper inside the swamp to pick us up. As we stood on the dam, the full scope of the disaster unfolded before our eyes. As far as 100 meters out, the swamp was exposed, cracked mud stretching to the horizon. Only one small pool of water remained among the reeds, and the surface was literally churning with fish gasping and fighting for survival. In the mud nearby, I watched a silver-grey fish make its last weak tail flicker before succumbing to the conditions.

    The air was thick with the acrid stench of rotting fish and decomposing mud. It was only at that moment that I understood the meaning of those tall, brown dead trees I had seen at the start of our journey. They had not died from drought — they had been poisoned by saltwater.

    Three years ago, a private entrepreneur proposed digging a canal cutting straight through the swamp to connect it to the ocean. The plan was approved by the then-minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, but the real motives for the canal remain unclear. What is undeniable is the catastrophic aftermath: freshwater from the swamp drains out to sea, while salty ocean water flows inland into the wetland. The result has been mass die-offs of freshwater wetland fish, and the widespread death of native vegetation that cannot tolerate high salt levels. What I witnessed on the dam was just a fraction of the full-scale destruction.

    After an hour waiting on the dam, we heard singing drifting across the mudflats. We spotted two soldiers working to bring a small boat to us: one sat in the craft, singing encouragement to the second, who waded through mud up to his thighs, hauling the boat forward over unstable ground as he searched for firmer footing. Eventually, the singing soldier jumped into the mud too, as the final hundred meters to reach us proved nearly impossible. The tide had already begun to recede back to the ocean, and water levels never reached the dam as initially predicted.

    With the help of a third soldier who had joined our group, the two men finally pulled the boat up to the dam, sparing us from having to wade through the thick muck. Immediately, the three soldiers jumped into the irrigation canal to wash off the sticky mud, taking a quick, refreshing break. But the water they bathed in is not ordinary water — it is the water that bears witness to this quiet, unfolding ecological disaster, and I have seen it with my own eyes.

    We loaded our minimal gear and a cooler onto the smaller boat and continued our journey deeper into Climbing Creek. With the boat heavier, the three men pushed it through thick mud, the scorching sun amplifying the rotten stench that hung in the air. Nowhere along the canal was the water more than a meter deep. Reeds hung over the banks, and loose dead vegetation floated freely across the surface. The skipper maneuvered carefully between reed beds, searching for the deepest channels, and often had to lift the propeller to clear debris or avoid collision with sunken logs. We inched forward meter by meter, until the engine suddenly overheated: sediment had clogged the cooling line, and the team could not clear the blockage. The engine cut out, leaving only the rustle of reeds, the gurgle of slow-moving water, and the calls of birds hanging in the air.

    Notably, the area remains remarkably clean, free of plastic pollution and aluminum cans; the only trace of outside human activity so far had been the stray fishing net that caught in our propeller. The stench of rotting fish faded as we moved deeper, and we saw far fewer dead fish floating on the surface. On the muddy bank, the soldiers spotted jaguar tracks — they had seen other big cat signs in the reeds earlier in the day. We transferred to a small rescue dinghy while the team worked to swap out the disabled engine, and after several attempts we managed to get a weak enough cell signal to call our destination camp on the coast and share our location to request assistance. We tied our disabled boat across the canal to take shelter in the shade of two remaining trees on opposite banks, broke out our snacks, and shared water, bananas and sweet buns while we waited. Before long, the backup team arrived in a larger boat carrying a replacement engine, we transferred to the rescue craft, and continued on to the coastal camp.

    Nestled among reeds, dead trees and surviving vegetation, a small basic camp has been set up on an elevated patch of ground in the blazing sun. For 18 days, a handful of military personnel have lived and worked here, on a mission to plant 12,000 mangrove seedlings to begin repairing the damage the entrepreneur’s unregulated canal caused. The saplings, donated by multinational energy firm Total Energies, traveled hundreds of kilometers from the Coronie region to reach the swamp: first by container to the dam, then along the same difficult route we had taken, transported in small batches because the low water levels limit what a single boat can carry, slowing progress to a crawl.

    Seedlings are transported along the irrigation canal to the dam, where they are reloaded onto smaller craft for the final trip into Climbing Creek. Even at the dam, we saw hundreds of already dried-out dead saplings. Poor preparation and poor soil quality for the initial staging killed the young plants before they could even be planted. The soldiers, who have experience with similar mangrove restoration projects and detailed knowledge of mangrove ecology, were able to clearly explain what went wrong, and which remaining saplings still have a chance of survival. They note that better inter-agency communication could have prevented this waste of money, resources and effort. It remains a tragedy that hundreds of dead seedlings are now buried at the mouth of the canal.

    The coastal plain is the final destination for the surviving seedlings; the team hopes a full mangrove forest will establish itself here within a few years, helping to slow saltwater intrusion and restore the wetland ecosystem. The camp is extremely basic, covered by a single tarpaulin divided into sleeping and cooking areas. Drinking water is scarce, because low water levels make resupply runs difficult. Soldiers bathe and do laundry using the brackish canal water. From the camp, the trip to the coastal planting site is even more difficult. For days on end, the men haul saplings to the planting sites, a physically grueling task that relies on primitive wooden sleds to carry small batches of seedlings over dry, exposed ground. Water levels have receded so far that the trip cannot be done by boat, but mangrove roots cannot tolerate being waterlogged during the early planting phase, so the dry, muddy ground is actually the ideal condition for young saplings to take root.

    *Indra Toelsie
    (Conclusion to be published tomorrow)*

  • SPB introduceert voordeelprogramma voor leden

    SPB introduceert voordeelprogramma voor leden

    Paramaribo, Suriname – September 11, 2026 – The Suriname Police Bond (SPB) has announced a sweeping set of new initiatives for its members, including an exclusive discount and installment payment program with local businesses, alongside a full brand refresh that replaces the union’s century-old symbolic rooster with a new lighthouse emblem. The plans were unveiled by SPB Chair Revelino Eijk this Wednesday, as his leadership board officially began its new five-year term of office.

    Multiple key projects for the union and its membership are already in their final completion phases, Eijk confirmed. These include the rollout of updated membership cards, the launch of the new branding, and the implementation of the long-awaited SPB Member Benefit Program. The chair stressed that the exclusive perks are only available to registered SPB members, and do not extend to all staff of the Suriname Police Corps.

    The benefit program delivers substantial savings on everyday and large purchases for union members. Most notably, participants will save up to 60 Surinamese cents per liter on fuel purchases at participating gas stations. Beyond fuel discounts, the union has secured agreements with local retailers and service providers that allow members to purchase electronics, household appliances, and vehicle tires, as well as cover the cost of personal vehicle maintenance and repairs, without upfront payment. All incurred costs will be automatically deducted in incremental installments directly from members’ monthly salaries, eliminating the need for third-party lending and streamlining the repayment process.

    Alongside the new member benefits, the SPB is marking a new era with a complete update to its visual identity, replacing the rooster that has served as the union’s symbolic emblem since its founding in 1919. Eijk explained that while the rooster was long chosen to represent the value of alertness in law enforcement, the bird does occasionally sleep – a gap the new lighthouse emblem is designed to fill. The lighthouse, Eijk noted, stands for unwavering resolve and constant vigilance: it acts as a permanent beacon whose light never stops working, aligning more closely with the core mission of the police union.

    The updated branding will accompany the rollout of new, modernized membership cards for all SPB members. Looking ahead to the full five-year term, Eijk’s leadership board has laid out an ambitious agenda beyond member benefits and branding. A top priority is the development of a national security framework for the Surinamese police force, which will outline formal requirements for safe working environments for officers, establish standardized protocols for emergency and crisis response, and set clear guidelines for the storage of seized evidence and goods. The board also aims to repair and strengthen public trust in the Surinamese police force through targeted image improvement initiatives.

    Additional capital projects on the board’s agenda include the construction of a small flag plaza at the SPB union headquarters, and the renovation of the existing memorial at the Police Training Center. The memorial honors police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty, and the upgrades will ensure their service and sacrifice are properly recognized and remembered by future generations.

  • Peru sluit zich aan bij door VS geleide veiligheidsalliantie ‘Shield of the Americas’

    Peru sluit zich aan bij door VS geleide veiligheidsalliantie ‘Shield of the Americas’

    On September 10, 2026, during a high-profile visit by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Lima, Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori formally announced that her country would join the Shield of the Americas, a U.S.-led regional security bloc focused on intelligence sharing and coordinated military counter-narcotics operations against transnational drug cartels. Fujimori, a right-wing leader who took office following recent general elections, confirmed the decision after closed-door bilateral talks with Rubio at the Government Palace in Lima.

    Fujimori emphasized that deepened security cooperation is a critical priority for her administration, which has struggled to contain rising violent crime and previously faced domestic insurgent threats. As a marker of the warming bilateral relationship, Rubio was awarded the Order of the Sun of Peru during his visit, one of the highest civilian honors bestowed by the Peruvian state.

    Officially also named the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition (ACCC), the alliance advocates for a robust military response to transnational criminal organizations, many of which currently wield greater firepower and resources than the national security forces of some Latin American states. Rubio framed the alliance as a defensive bulwark, describing it as a “shield against threats to national sovereignty” and stressing that decisive collective action is required to counter the growing power of cartel networks across the Western Hemisphere.

    Peru holds the unenviable position of the world’s second-largest cocaine producer, behind only Colombia, and has seen a sharp uptick in organized crime in recent years, including widespread extortion rings linked to drug trafficking groups. However, the decision to deepen security ties with the U.S. has ignited widespread concern over the erosion of Peruvian and broader Latin American sovereignty, particularly given the long history of U.S. military and political intervention in the region and Washington’s history of backing controversial right-wing leaders.

    During his public remarks in Lima, Rubio sought to ease these concerns, stating that all U.S. security operations within Peruvian territory would only proceed with the explicit approval of Peruvian national authorities. Even with these assurances, hundreds of protesters gathered in central Lima to demonstrate against the alliance, holding signs and chanting slogans calling for Rubio to leave the country and rejecting the Shield of the Americas initiative.

    Beyond counter-narcotics cooperation, Peru’s accession to the alliance aligns with a broader U.S. geopolitical strategy to counter growing Chinese influence across Latin America. China is currently Peru’s largest bilateral trading partner, and has poured billions of dollars into infrastructure projects across the country, most notably the megascale Chancay port project located just outside Lima — a development that U.S. policymakers have framed as a strategic threat to regional security and U.S. interests.

    Peru occupies an outsize role in both U.S. security and economic strategy in the region, in large part due to its status as the world’s third-largest producer of copper, a critical mineral for global renewable energy and technology supply chains. Earlier this year in January, the U.S. designated Peru as a major non-NATO ally, a status that unlocks preferential defense cooperation and arms access, and approved a potential $1.5 billion arms deal to upgrade Peru’s main naval base at Callao, the country’s largest commercial port.

  • Column: Delcy, Trump en onze olie

    Column: Delcy, Trump en onze olie

    Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez’s upcoming official visit to Suriname has sparked a wave of mixed reactions even before she sets foot on Surinamese soil. Some responses have been sharply critical, while others are outright dismissive of the trip. Critics inside and outside Venezuela have pointed to Rodríguez’s long-standing ties to chavismo, the left-wing movement that has shaped Venezuelan politics for decades; yet paradoxically, other factions within Venezuela have already accused her of betraying chavismo’s core principles by seeking closer ties to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.

    This contradiction lays bare a striking new political reality unfolding across northeast South America. A Venezuelan leader hailing from a movement that built its legitimacy for decades in large part on opposition to U.S. influence is now aligning with a U.S. administration that has openly made reasserting American dominance across the Western Hemisphere a core foreign policy goal. Still, framing Rodríguez’s visit in purely binary positive or negative terms oversimplifies the complex context at play. A far more productive approach is to examine the broader regional transformations underway, and where Suriname positions itself amid this shifting landscape.

    Today, the three neighboring countries of the Guiana Shield are emerging as pivotal players in global energy geopolitics. Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven crude oil reserves. Neighboring Guyana has rapidly transformed itself into a major oil exporter in just a handful of years, and Suriname now stands on the cusp of launching its own offshore oil production. For decades, the international community largely viewed these three nations as small, peripheral players on South America’s northeast coast. Now, the energy reserves lying off their shores and beneath their soil have catapulted the region to new centrality in global geopolitics.

    This shift comes as the U.S. Secretary of State is currently touring Latin America, with a core agenda centered on shoring up Washington’s position and influence across the region. The Trump administration has openly articulated its commitment to advancing explicit U.S. interests across the Western Hemisphere, prioritizing not just trade and security, but also countering the growing influence of China, Russia, and Iran in the region. Against this backdrop, Rodríguez’s visit to Suriname has naturally fueled widespread suspicion among local observers.

    Key questions hang over the trip: What are Washington’s actual strategic goals in this resource-rich region? What weight do the oil reserves of Venezuela, Guyana, and soon Suriname hold in the United States’ evolving regional strategy? And how should we interpret the unexpected alignment between Trump and Rodríguez in this broader context? There is no basis to claim without evidence that Trump is actively targeting Suriname’s oil reserves, nor does hosting Rodríguez automatically mean Suriname is aligning against the U.S. or taking sides in a great power geopolitical clash. Still, it is an undeniable reality that public distrust grows in the absence of transparent information from governing bodies.

    This lack of transparency has defined the lead-up to Rodríguez’s visit. Details of the trip were only released shortly before her scheduled arrival, and little public information has been shared about the agenda for talks or any potential agreements that may be signed. This information gap has created fertile ground for rampant speculation – a particularly charged situation in a country on the brink of entering a new petroleum-powered era, where every meeting with a major foreign political actor carries outsized significance.

    For decades, Suriname has been a small nation that attracted relatively little geopolitical attention from global powers. The discovery of commercial oil reserves is set to upend that reality completely. This does not mean Suriname will emerge as a global power overnight, but it does mean that foreign actors will have growing stakes in the country’s political and economic decisions. To navigate this new landscape, Suriname’s government must pursue a mature, independent foreign policy. As a small state, Suriname cannot afford to limit its diplomatic partnerships to a narrow bloc of allies. It must be able to engage openly with Venezuela, maintain productive dialogue with the United States, and build ties with China, Europe, India, Brazil and other global partners when doing so serves Suriname’s national interests.

    Suriname’s leaders must recognize that diplomacy is not a matter of joining an exclusive club of ideological allies. True foreign policy independence means more than just being willing to sit at the negotiating table with every global power – it means entering those talks with a clear understanding of what Suriname hopes to achieve for its own people. When it comes to Rodríguez’s visit, whether she is a committed chavista, a traitor to the movement, a Trump ally or a pragmatic Venezuelan leader is ultimately not the most pressing question for Suriname. That debate is first and foremost for Venezuelans to resolve among themselves. For Suriname, the only question that truly matters is what Suriname wants to gain from the encounter.

    Core national questions remain unanswered for the public: What is Suriname’s long-term vision for its own oil reserves? What role will the government allow foreign oil companies to play in the sector? How can the country avoid a situation where economic dependence on foreign actors mutates into crippling political dependence? And how can Suriname guarantee that decisions about a natural resource that belongs to all Surinamese people are actually made in the best interests of the Surinamese public? Guyana has already demonstrated how quickly oil can transform a small country’s international standing, and Suriname must confront this new reality head-on.

    Observers in the country must guard against both excessive naivety and ungrounded paranoia. Not every U.S. move in the region is part of a plot to seize Suriname’s oil, and not every Venezuelan overture is an attempt to pull Suriname into a competing geopolitical bloc. At the same time, it would be equally naive to pretend that great powers do not act first to advance their own economic and strategic interests. The United States naturally defends its own interests, as does Venezuela, China, Guyana and every other nation. The question for Suriname is: is the country actively and consistently defending its own?

    When it comes to Rodríguez’s visit, the far more important question than which side Suriname is on is what position Suriname wants to claim for itself in a region that has been reemerged as a geopolitical hotspot thanks to its oil wealth. Rodríguez will leave Suriname after her visit, U.S. cabinet officials will come and go, and even Donald Trump will eventually exit the global political stage. But Suriname’s oil reserves will remain a core part of the country’s future for generations. Suriname cannot afford to let other powers outline its future for its oil wealth before the country defines its own goals.

  • Politiebond wil nationaal veiligheidsplan voor eigen korps

    Politiebond wil nationaal veiligheidsplan voor eigen korps

    Suriname’s newly installed leadership of the Suriname Police Union (SPB), headed by chair Revelino Eijk, has laid out an aggressive policy agenda for its term, centered on drafting a landmark national internal security plan for the national police force that addresses long-unresolved workplace hazards, flawed operational protocols, and public image damage.

    The Eijk-led board officially took office Wednesday during a special general members’ assembly, following a formal handover ceremony. Eijk first assumed the union’s top role in 2025, succeeding Poetini Atompai, who stepped down to enter politics and now holds a seat in Suriname’s National Assembly. This term marks the third consecutive time the Renewal Movement, the faction founded in 2016 by Atompai, Sergio Gentle and Raoul Hellings, has secured control of the police union’s leadership.

    In his opening address to members, Eijk acknowledged that meaningful progress had been achieved by the previous leadership, but emphasized the new board’s ambition to deliver greater gains for rank-and-file officers both within the police organization and in field operations. He also updated members on ongoing salary negotiations, confirming that no agreement has yet been reached between the Surinamese government and security sector unions on a proposed 15% pay raise, with talks still ongoing. Beyond base salary increases, the union is also pushing for substantial raises to inadequate job-specific allowances: Eijk noted that a current allowance for judicial assistant officers currently stands at just 183 Surinamese dollars, while the annual risk allowance for officers is only 570 Surinamese dollars.

    At the top of the new board’s priority list is the creation of the first national internal security plan for the national police. Eijk stressed that the plan is not focused on high-profile field equipment like bulletproof vests, but on addressing dangerous, long-neglected conditions that officers face every day inside police stations themselves.

    “What we see is that the safety of our people in their own workplaces is not guaranteed,” Eijk told attendees. “We have buildings that can barely be called police stations anymore: ceilings that are at risk of collapsing, rampant rat infestations, bat droppings falling into work areas, sewage that bubbles up into the station every time it rains. Officers are working on broken chairs that leave them with chronic back pain.”

    Eijk added that many stations lack even the most basic safety infrastructure and emergency protocols. Some stations do not have working fire extinguishers, and there are no clear action plans for emergencies in cell blocks. “Officers work in cell blocks every day, but they have no idea what to do if a fire breaks out,” he said. “There is no documented workflow, no official protocol, no evacuation plan. What is an officer supposed to do? Should they open all the cells? Who should they call? No one knows.”

    The proposed national security plan will also establish clear, standardized protocols for handling, storing and securing seized evidence and contraband. Eijk pointed out current dangerous gaps in existing practices: for example, seized gas cylinders are often stored in enclosed indoor spaces, when they should be kept in open, ventilated areas. He also cited a case where a truck loaded with illegal, hazardous chemicals is being guarded by officers with no protective measures in place to guard their health.

    Beyond safety risks, clear protocols for seized goods will also reduce the risk of theft and unfair scrutiny of officers, Eijk explained. Without clear guidelines, officers are sometimes wrongfully implicated in investigations into missing seized property even when they had no involvement in the disappearance. “There are no clear written guidelines or protocols for how these tasks should be done,” he said. “We have thought through these issues. This is about our safety, our health. That is why a national security plan must be created.”

    Another core priority for the new SPB leadership is repairing the badly damaged public image of the Suriname Police Corps. Eijk said the force’s reputation has suffered severe dents in recent years, describing it as “dented over and over again.” He called on all officers to hold themselves and their colleagues accountable, urging intervention when any member — whether a union member or not — is at risk of misconduct.

    Noting that numerous integrity violations have already occurred within the force, Eijk emphasized that restoring public trust in the police must start from within the institution itself.

  • PANCAP: Suriname behoort tot landen met hoge suïcidecijfers

    PANCAP: Suriname behoort tot landen met hoge suïcidecijfers

    On World Suicide Prevention Day, the Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) has issued a urgent call for a comprehensive, cross-sector approach to suicide prevention across the Caribbean, after 2021 data from the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) confirmed that three Caribbean nations – Suriname, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago – rank among the countries with the highest age-standardized suicide rates in the Americas. The 2021 PAHO statistics paint a stark picture: Guyana recorded a rate of 26.4 suicides per 100,000 residents, followed by Suriname at 22.4 per 100,000, and Trinidad and Tobago at 11.6 per 100,000. These figures, PANCAP argues, make clear that suicide prevention cannot be treated as a responsibility limited solely to public health systems.

    Instead, the regional organization emphasizes that every segment of society has a critical role to play in building supportive environments where people feel valued, connected, and safe enough to seek help without fear of judgment or shame. This includes families, local communities, schools, workplaces, religious groups, civil society organizations, and national governments, all of which must contribute to systemic change.

    This year’s global World Suicide Prevention Day observance centers on the theme “Changing the Narrative on Suicide”, and PANCAP has aligned its advocacy with the international call to strengthen mental health protections, reduce suicide risk, and foster inclusive communities across the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) where no one experiences isolation, rejection, or hopelessness.

    A core focus of PANCAP’s 2024 advocacy is the overlooked link between HIV-related stigma, discrimination, and heightened suicide vulnerability. While CARICOM has made significant progress in expanding access to HIV diagnosis, treatment, and care – transforming HIV from a fatal infection into a manageable chronic condition – people living with HIV still face widespread social exclusion, rejection, and systemic discrimination across the region.

    Citing joint findings from UNAIDS and the World Health Organization (WHO), PANCAP notes that HIV-associated stigma and discrimination cause severe, long-term harm to mental health and quality of life. Beyond worsening psychological distress, these barriers also deter people from accessing HIV testing, prevention tools, treatment, and ongoing care, creating a vicious cycle of poor health outcomes and increased social isolation. Research cited by the organization confirms that social exclusion, discrimination, loneliness, and lack of social support are all key drivers that increase a person’s vulnerability to suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

    Wendy Telgt-Emanuelson, Director of the PANCAP Coordinating Unit, stressed that regional HIV response efforts must prioritize greater compassion and inclusion for people living with the virus. “Suicide prevention is about protecting life, dignity, and hope. No one living with HIV should feel rejected or isolated because of their status,” Telgt-Emanuelson said. She added that stigma and discrimination must be replaced with understanding, inclusion, and empathy across all levels of Caribbean society.

    PANCAP also underscores the critical importance of accurate, accessible public education about HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Reliable, evidence-based information empowers people to make informed decisions about their health, seek testing, access available prevention resources, and pursue treatment when needed.

    In closing, the organization has called on all CARICOM member states to not only expand public knowledge about HIV, but also transform societal attitudes toward people living with the virus. PANCAP’s message is clear: fear must give way to facts, stigma to understanding, discrimination to inclusion, and isolation to connection if the region is to reduce suicide rates and build healthier, more equitable communities.

  • Bouw nieuwe 140 meter lange kade Jules Sedney Haven gestart

    Bouw nieuwe 140 meter lange kade Jules Sedney Haven gestart

    Suriname’s key maritime infrastructure is undergoing a major upgrade, as construction work officially kicked off this week for a 140-meter new quay expansion at the Dr. Jules Sedney Harbour. The first foundation pile was driven into the ground on Wednesday, marking the formal start of a project designed to boost the port’s overall handling capacity to meet rising demand driven by the fast-growing offshore oil and gas sector in the region.

    Preparations for the expansion followed the contract signing for the project on July 24 this year, after which pre-construction site work was completed to clear the way for piling operations that began on September 9. Once completed, the new quay will have a load-bearing capacity of 20 tonnes per square meter, enabling it to accommodate larger, heavier vessels and cargo associated with offshore energy operations. Local firm Haukes Construction N.V. has been appointed as the main contractor for the build, while another Surinamese institution, Hakrinbank N.V., is providing full financing for the initiative. The project is commissioned by N.V. Havenbeheer Suriname, the country’s port management authority, and is scheduled for completion within 12 months of the start of construction.

    The core goal of the expansion is to allow the port authority to proactively respond to projected growth in demand for port and logistics infrastructure. The project is specifically tailored to accommodate the increasing need for maritime and logistics services spurred by rapid development in Suriname’s offshore oil and gas industry, a sector that has emerged as a key driver of the country’s economic growth in recent years.

    Beyond adding capacity, the expansion will strengthen Dr. Jules Sedney Harbour’s role as a critical logistics link that supports Suriname’s broader long-term economic development, according to port management. A key feature of the project’s delivery model is its intentional focus on partnering with local Surinamese companies, suppliers and industry stakeholders. Port authorities note that this approach not only delivers the new required infrastructure but also leverages and builds up local technical expertise and project delivery capacity, creating lasting benefits for the domestic industry.

    Port management also emphasizes that the growth of new emerging economic sectors like offshore energy should create opportunities for domestic Surinamese businesses and skilled professionals to claim a larger share of the related industrial activity. Andreas Talea, General Manager of N.V. Havenbeheer Suriname, expressed confidence in a smooth, accelerated delivery of the project, citing strong alignment between all participating parties. If construction stays on the approved 12-month timeline, the new quay is set to open to commercial operations one year after piling work got underway.

  • VVI: Drie wegen springen eruit in analyse verkeersongevallen

    VVI: Drie wegen springen eruit in analyse verkeersongevallen

    Three major thoroughfares in Suriname – Indira Gandhiweg, Martin Luther Kingweg, and Garnizoenspad – have emerged as the country’s most accident-prone routes, registering a disproportionately high share of severe and fatal traffic collisions, prompting a data-driven initiative to improve road safety across the nation.

    The Verkeersveiligheidsinstituut (VVI, or Road Safety Institute of Suriname) has launched a comprehensive mapping project to catalog high-risk roads and dangerous intersections using real-world traffic collision data. The compiled insights are designed to enable the Ministry of Public Works and Spatial Planning (OWRO) to implement targeted, evidence-based interventions rather than relying on broad, unfocused upgrades.

    Purcy Landveld, Deputy Director for Data, Education and Outreach at VVI, confirmed that initial analysis of collected incident reports has flagged the three routes for urgent prioritization. The institute is currently conducting detailed black spot analyses to pinpoint exactly which intersections and road segments carry the highest collision risk, rather than generalizing risk across entire routes.

    This data-centric approach is rooted in the reality that Suriname’s traffic landscape is rapidly evolving: the total number of registered vehicles continues to rise, overall mobility levels are increasing, and road user behavior is also shifting over time. VVI’s core goal through this project is to drive long-term, structural reduction in the number of traffic injuries and fatalities across the country.

    OWRO is already moving forward to act on VVI’s data, with plans to conduct targeted investigations and infrastructure upgrades at high-risk sites. Lucretia Beeldstroo, Deputy Director for Traffic and Mobility at OWRO, noted that a formal Terms of Reference has already been finalized for the project. A competitive tender process will be launched to select engineering firms to carry out detailed assessments of Indira Gandhiweg and Martin Luther Kingweg, the two highest-priority routes. Assessments will go beyond just reviewing past collision data to examine underlying conditions that may increase crash risk.

    To capture an accurate picture of traffic dynamics, new surveillance cameras will be installed at busy, high-risk intersections to track traffic flow patterns and identify dangerous maneuvers by road users. Evaluations will also cover multiple infrastructure factors, including vehicle speed limits, road lighting and visibility, road marking quality, pedestrian crossing facilities, and right-of-way protocols at intersections. Following assessments, immediate low-cost upgrades will also roll out across multiple sites: new road markings will be added, and missing or outdated traffic signs will be replaced to improve clarity for road users. Beeldstroo emphasized that the ministry is pursuing all feasible improvements within existing budget and resource constraints to cut collision risk.

    Landveld, however, stresses that infrastructure upgrades alone cannot solve Suriname’s road safety crisis. A cohesive, effective national road safety policy requires sustained cross-sector collaboration between government ministries and all relevant stakeholder agencies, he says. VVI is positioning itself as a central convener to bring all parties together, translating raw traffic data into actionable, site-specific safety measures.

    “That is VVI’s core mission: bring all stakeholders to the table, turn raw traffic data into concrete interventions, and work collaboratively to build safer roads for all Surinamese road users,” Landveld said.

  • Mazelenuitbraak in Bangladesh: Meer dan 1.000 kindersterftes

    Mazelenuitbraak in Bangladesh: Meer dan 1.000 kindersterftes

    In a photograph captured at Dhaka’s Infectious Disease Hospital on September 9, 2026, 22-year-old Mariam holds her nine-month-old son Nayem, who is battling a measles infection, illustrating the human toll of a public health crisis that is currently unfolding across Bangladesh.

    Bangladesh is now grappling with the most severe measles outbreak recorded globally, according to international health authorities. Official data from the country’s Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) confirms that at least 1,002 children have died since the epidemic began spreading in March 2026, with a total of 187,484 confirmed measles cases registered to date.

    Measles is an extremely contagious viral illness characterized by high fever and a distinct body rash, with no targeted antiviral treatment available. However, two doses of the measles vaccine provide highly effective protection against the disease. Children under five years old, most of whom have not yet completed their full vaccination schedule, face the highest risk of severe complications and death, accounting for more than 80% of early reported cases in this outbreak.

    The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has officially classified this event as the largest measles epidemic currently active worldwide. Professor Mahmudur Rahman, former director of Dhaka’s Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research, described the situation as “unprecedented and extremely critical,” noting that the current death toll is higher than any previous measles outbreak recorded in the nation’s history.

    Both the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF attribute the crisis to major gaps in Bangladesh’s routine immunization program, which emerged during a period of political instability spanning 2024 and 2025, following the resignation of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. Bangladesh’s Health Minister Sardar Husain confirmed that policy shifts related to vaccine procurement during that period led to widespread vaccine shortages across the country, leaving millions of children unprotected.

    In response to the growing outbreak, authorities launched an emergency mass vaccination campaign in April that reached 18 million children. However, roughly 4 million children remained inaccessible and unvaccinated, leaving the population still vulnerable to continued spread. DGHS spokesperson Zahid Raihan acknowledged that the campaign failed to reach the herd immunity threshold needed to halt transmission, and that public health teams are still conducting outreach to find children who missed their doses. “While measles cannot be completely eradicated at this point, we will continue expanding vaccination access to bring down the number of deaths and infections,” Raihan stated.

    Compounding the strain on Bangladesh’s already overburdened healthcare system, the measles outbreak is occurring alongside a simultaneous sharp surge in dengue fever cases. More than 45,000 people have already been hospitalized for dengue, and last Tuesday saw a new daily record for both new hospital admissions and dengue-related deaths across the country.

  • Suriname en Venezuela willen samenwerking op meerdere terreinen verdiepen

    Suriname en Venezuela willen samenwerking op meerdere terreinen verdiepen

    On Friday, Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez will kick off an official visit to Suriname at the invitation of Suriname’s President Jennifer Simons, a long-planned diplomatic engagement that comes as the two neighboring nations mark five decades of formal diplomatic relations. Details of the high-level visit, which was not formally announced to the public earlier this week, have now been released by Suriname’s government, outlining a packed agenda focused on expanding cross-sector collaboration.

    According to Suriname’s Communication Service, Rodríguez will lead a full Venezuelan delegation to the talks, where top topics on the discussion table include enhanced cooperation in agriculture, fisheries, hydrocarbons, transportation connectivity, tourism, education, and institutional capacity building. Beyond bilateral sectoral partnerships, the two heads of state will also exchange views on pressing regional and global issues, and coordinate strategies to advance shared national interests within regional blocs and multilateral international forums.

    Suriname’s government notes that the milestone of 50 years of diplomatic ties is being leveraged not just to reaffirm the long-standing positive relationship between the two countries, but also to deepen existing collaboration and unlock new opportunities for joint economic and technological development. Any agreements reached during the visit are intended to lay out a clear, forward-looking path for sustainable, results-focused cooperation between the two nations moving forward. While officials have confirmed that multiple bilateral agreements will be signed during the visit, no further details on the specific content of these pacts have been released to date.

    Preparations for the visit have been underway for weeks, with Venezuelan security personnel already arriving in Suriname ahead of Rodríguez’s trip to coordinate security arrangements. This visit was originally scheduled for June 23 of this year, but the engagement was ultimately postponed with no public explanation given by the Surinamese President’s Cabinet at the time.

    Rodríguez has served as Venezuela’s acting president since January 2025. Previously holding the post of vice president, she assumed the role of interim head of state following the capture and extradition of sitting President Nicolás Maduro to the United States during a U.S. military operation.