“That’s the same as 0.4% of Suriname’s land,” he says, showing the official letter in which the president of Suriname confirms the settlements. Photograph: Ramon KeyzerAdding to the unease is the isolated and secretive nature of Mennonite communities. Sergio Jubithana, president of the Cooperating Indigenous Villages in Para, says: “The concern is very big within the Indigenous communities. He says that during their recent trip to Suriname, Mennonite farmers approached him through intermediaries, asking him to provide them with land. “Do we want to make that worse with Mennonites’ deforestation?”

Source: The Guardian December 15, 2023 15:04 UTC