Bagne des Annamites

In the forest near Montsinéry stand the remains of the Crique Anguille camp, opened in 1931 to hold prisoners deported from French Indochina, who were put to forced labour here; of the group shipped out that year, about a hundred were political prisoners and about four hundred common-law convicts. The forest has taken the site back, and a marked trail leads between what survives: cell blocks with their iron bars, foundations, water tanks, all under full canopy. Panels along the path tell the story plainly.

History

The territory of Inini was created on 6 June 1930 to develop the interior of French Guiana separately from the coast, and the camp of Crique Anguille, in today's commune of Montsinéry-Tonnegrande, was built to hold prisoners from Annam and put them to work on it. In February 1931 about 100 political prisoners and about 400 common-law convicts sailed for French Guiana on the Martinière and were held first in a prison in Cayenne; the camp was in use from 1931 to 1944 (Wikipedia, Prison of the Annamites).

The main sights

• The cell blocks - concrete cells with iron bars standing in the forest.
• The trail - the marked loop linking the ruins under canopy.
• The interpretation panels - the history of the Indochinese deportees told on site.
• The reclaiming forest - roots and canopy closing over the camp.

When to go

July to November is the dry season and the trail is easy. After rain the path is muddy but passable. Mornings are coolest under the trees.

Before you go

The remains are fragmentary and the power of the place is in the story more than the structures. Mosquitoes are constant. It is a memorial site and the tone of a visit should match.

Nearby

Montsinéry is west, and Cayenne is east.

Key facts