Cross Border Business, Bridges and Land Disputes

As many readers are aware river usage surcharges have caused a flare up between Guyana and Suriname business communities and politicians. The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) is now calling for the Corentyne Bridge project to be brought to a halt.

What is not being discussed is the quiet campaign of changing map cards online by a Surinamese pressure group going by the name “Kaart Van Suriname” or “Map of Suriname”. Maps of Suriname is very active on Facebook and Kaart Van Suriname is very active and aggressive on LinkedIn. Their goal is to have map cards of Suriname changed to reflect Guyana’s New River Triangle, which Suriname calls the Tigri Region as part of Suriname. It also seeks to include a portion that that Suriname disputes with French Guiana.

They have been fairly successful in proliferating these incorrect images on google which have been used by governments and businesses alike. Two recent occurrences that highlight the effects of their consistent advocacy are as follows.

First, Maps of Suriname claims in a Facebook video from April 2025 the Suriname’s E-Passport includes the New River Triangle in the map of Suriname rather than the traditional map on most of the interior pages of the document.

A second occurrence from February 2026 - a post on LinkedIn by D.S. Bellcon Limited, a company operating both in Guyana and Suriname. The statement which was discussing its project in Guyana used an image of Guyana which cut off the new river triangle from Guyana and included it in the map of Suriname.

Perhaps these events are not grave and weighty on their own, but it does raise both geopolitical concerns and business concerns for anyone straddling the border and doing business in both of these countries.

Border claims can quickly spiral out of control. With commercial activity between the two countries, including Oil and Gas operators conducting cross border personnel swaps and training. It is incumbent that Guyana and Suriname pursue an amicable solution to this matter.