[1] Suriname's low population density and abundant natural resources have attracted numerous migrants from neighboring Brazil.
[2] Over the past decade or so, as many as 40,000 Brazilians, mostly illegal immigrants, have moved to Suriname, a country with fewer than half a million citizens.
[3] Gold mining in Albina is typically environmentally destructive and it has resulted in clashes between the miners and indigenous peoples.
In late December 2009, a series of riots occurred when local maroon inhabitants attacked Brazilian, Chinese, Colombian and Peruvian gold diggers after a man was allegedly stabbed to death by a Brazilian.
[6] On December 28, an airplane with capacity for 40 people was sent to the city with the purpose of rescuing more Brazilians.