Indigenous reps accept royal apology

Representatives of the descendants of African slaves and Indigenous peoples of Suriname on Monday formally accepted an apology from visiting King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands for widespread slavery during Dutch colonial rule.

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The monarch made the apology back in 2023 but it was accepted during a meeting and ceremony behind closed doors on Monday in Paramaribo, the Surinamese capital, according to the state-run Suriname Communication Services (CDS).

“We accept the apology and the request for forgiveness with the full conviction that the king, with a clear conscience, wishes to cooperate in healing and restoration,’ said Wilgo Ommen, representative of the Indigenous communities.