'We live off the forest': fears rise in Suriname as Mennonites look to settle

Secretive Christian sect poised to carve big farms out of the Amazon, despite concerns of Indigenous people about the settlers' deforestation elsewhere in Latin AmericaTempers are running high in Klaaskreek, a village 50 miles south of Suriname's capital, Paramaribo. Local officials and residents meet weekly to pool what they know about three groups of unwelcome new settlers in the area: Mennonite farmers.Klaaskreek is located in Brokopondo, a hilly district predominantly settled by Saamaka Maroons, who fled from the plantations during the days of slavery. The area, newly popular with tourists, is known for its 1960s-era reservoir and hydroelectric plant, timber concessions, goldmines and fertile land. It is this last resource that is proving attractive to Mennonites. Continue reading...