The Afobaka Dam

Abstract This article argues that the Afobaka Dam in Suriname, completed in 1965, which created one of the world’s largest reservoirs, sank 43 Saamaka and several Ndyuka/Okanisi villages, and forcibly displaced 6,000 people from their homes, should be considered a crime against humanity. It describes the origins of the engineering project, the interactions between the Suriname government and the Saamakas, the “transmigration” villages built to house the displaced people, and the continuing deleterious effects of the dam. Evidence is provided from affidavits of Saamakas and outside experts before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in 2007, as well as the author’s interviews with participants—both government officials and Saamakas—since the 1960s.