At the start of  2024 the Association of Indigenous Village Chiefs  in Suriname (VIDS) started with reports that indicated that owners of plantations had laid claim to the land of Philipus Shikwabana in the Para District and that the state had claimed the historical land of the Lokono tribe which is located in the western part of Suriname. The Surinamese government had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Chinalco without consulting the local Indigenous communities that live in that territory.

 “Amerindians were also neglected in 2024.”

The VIDS pointed out that there are many cases where international courts ruled in favor of the Indigenous tribes to protect their collective rights and their land rights. But the Surinamese state evidently ignores these rulings. Despite the setbacks the VIDS keeps fighting for the rights of the Indigenous people in Suriname.

“Indigenous people have made a huge contribution to this country that we all know now as Suriname. The biggest contribution is  sharing this country and its resources with other Surinamese people. But one must never forget that we are the founders of this country,” said the VIDS.

Selowin Alamijawari, executive member of the VIDS and the chief of the Amerindian village of Langamankondre, urged the local Amerindian communities to persevere. “The Indigenous people from all around the world never give up. Let us keep going. Maybe we will not get the legal recognition today but we will definitely get it someday. I truly believe that. Someday I will no longer get better here so let us give the current generation the strength to go on.”

Just like last year several babies were also born this year on January 1st. The  Diakonessenhuis welcomed the first baby to be born in 2025 on January 1st around 3:33. A healthy boy is officially the first baby to be born in 2025. Last year the Academic Hospital Paramaribo (AZP) had the  honor of welcoming the first baby for 2024. This year the AZP welcomed its first baby via C-section around 11:35. A baby boy also came into this world around 6:36 while the Mungra Medical Center (MMC) welcomed a baby boy around 3:52 and a baby girl in the afternoon.

This year the Fire Department Suriname (KBS) also reported several fireworks victims. The youngest victim is 3 years of age. “There were five reported cases,” Olton Pinas, spokesman of the Fire Department Suriname, told Times of Suriname. All five victims sustained eye injuries. Two fireworks victims were rushed to the Mungra Medical Center (MMC) on New Year’s Eve. One of the victims is a boy who sustained an eye injury when he was hit in the eye by a striker. He has been referred to the Eye Clinic at the Academic Hospital Paramaribo (AZP). A 3-year-old child who also sustained an eye injury was not labeled as a fireworks victim because she was injured before the official period for selling and lighting fireworks had started. The fireworks period was concluded on January 1st which means that it is no longer allowed to sell or light fireworks.

MONTENEGRO – A gunman has killed 12 people, including two children, in a series of shootings in southern Montenegro. Authorities said the man – later identified as Aco Martinovic, 45 – had been drinking heavily all day when he got into an altercation with another guest at a restaurant in the Cetinje area around 17.30 (16.30 GMT) on New Year’s Day. After the argument, Martinovic went home to retrieve a weapon, then returned to the restaurant and began his rampage, killing several customers.

Martinovic then drove to five other locations and shot several more people, including members of his immediate and extended family. The restaurant owner and his children, aged 10 and 13, were also killed. Police tracked Martinovic down after an hours-long manhunt. When they ordered him to drop his weapon during a stand-off, he fatally injured himself and died as he was being transported to hospital.

The government has declared three days of national mourning from Thursday, with Prime Minister Milojko Spajic saying the shooting had “shrouded our country in black”. Interior Minister Danilo Saranovic called the incident a “consequence of disturbed interpersonal relations”, according to AFP news agency.  Four people were taken to hospital after being seriously wounded in the shooting. Three of them were in a stable but life-threatening condition, authorities said, while one was in critical condition.

Writing on social media, the prime minister said: “This senseless act has caused immeasurable sadness and bitterness in each of us. There are no words of comfort.” Milojko Spajic said the country’s security council would hold an emergency meeting on Thursday to “urgently consider all options” to protect the public, including a complete ban on the possession of weapons. Mass shootings are comparatively rare in the small Balkan nation. In 2022, a man killed several people, including children, in Cetinje following a family dispute. (BBC)