SUMMARY
Suriname, a former Dutch colony, became independent in 1975. The Netherlands left behind a parliamentary democracy where political parties developed mainly along ethnic lines. Henck Arron, who led a coalition of parties composed mainly of Creoles, became the country’s first Prime Minister. In 1977, Arron won the first election held after independence. The new government soon had to deal with a stagnant economy and an increase in unemployment and poverty levels, which led to widespread discontent. These developments, in combination with the government’s refusal to sanction trade union activity within the armed forces, caused a revolt within the army. On 25 February 1980, a group of 16 army officers seized power in a coup known as “the Sergeants’ revolution”. The army officers formed a junta lead by Lt. Col. Dési Bouterse. At first, the coup was welcomed by most of the population. However, it did not take long before the junta tried to consolidate its power by restricting freedom of assembly, censoring the media and eliminating opponents. On 9 December 1982, 15 leading opposition figures – including lawyers, journalists and trade union leaders – were brutally murdered by the government. In the aftermath of the “December murders”, both the Netherlands and the United States suspended their aid packages to Suriname.
Initially, the Bouterse regime sought support from Cuba, but after the 1983 US invasion of Grenada, Bouterse distanced himself from [Cuba]. With Cuban ties reduced, and without Dutch and US aid, Bouterse sought assistance from Libya and its leader Muammar Gaddafi instead. However, little is known about the extent of the Libyan support.
As the economic and political situation in the country deteriorated, the junta was forced to open a dialogue with the leaders of the political parties that had operated before the coup. Therefore, a National Assembly was formed in 1985 and a new Cabinet of Ministers was installed the following year. The relationship between the civilian government and military was however strained and the de facto power still remained with Bouterse, whose regime grew all the more unpopular. At this time, the regime got involved in an intrastate conflict with a rebel group called the Surinamese Liberation Army (SLA), led by Bouterse’s former bodyguard Ronnie Brunswijk. The rebel group consisted mainly of Maroons, an ethnic group of African descent, and during the conflict the Surinamese army indiscriminately targeted the Maroon population, killing up to 300 Maroon civilians.
Domestic and external pressure forced the government to hold elections in 1987 and in the following year, a new democratically elected government was installed. Bouterse nonetheless remained as commander of the army. On 24 December 1990, military leaders had once again launched a coup and seized control of the government. However, in response to political pressure from the United States, the Netherlands, France, and the Organization of American States, elections were held on 25 May 1991 where Ronald Venetiaan was elected president. The new government quickly passed an act that officially deprived the military of all political power. In 1992, Bouterse resigned as commander of the Surinamese army after reports that he had engaged in corruption surfaced. During the following years, Bouterse’s successor as commander of the national army, Arthy Gorre, a soldier that had participated in the 1980 Sergeant’s coup, brought the army under the control of the government.
In May 2010, a political coalition under the name Mega Combination, led by former military dictator Bouterse, won the most seats in the elections to the National Assembly. Consequently, Bouterse returned to power as he a few months later was inaugurated as President of Suriname. Following the election, Bouterse accepted political responsibility for the 1982 “December murders” but denied that he had been personally involved. Trials for the murders had been initiated in 2007 but in April 2012, only a short time before the verdict was expected, the National Assembly passed a controversial bill that granted Bouterse amnesty for the murders. Subsequently, the trials came to a halt. In 2015, Bouterse was re-elected as President for a second term.
The Surinamese National Army consists of an army, navy and air force. In 2015, it was estimated the Government of Suriname had 1840 troops active in its armed forces.
