SUMMARY
Suriname, a former Dutch colony independent since 1975, experienced significant political violence during the 1980s under the military regime of Dési Bouterse, followed by an internal armed insurgency that lasted until 1992. The country's post-independence history has been shaped by the tension between military and civilian rule, as well as by ethnic divisions between its diverse population.
Pre-1989 conflicts
On 25 February 1980, a group of sixteen sergeants of the Surinamese Armed Forces, led by Dési Bouterse, overthrew the democratically elected government of Prime Minister Henck Arron in what became known as the Sergeants' Coup. The coup marked the beginning of a military dictatorship that dominated Suriname until 1991. The regime was characterized by the suppression of political opposition, the curtailment of press freedom, curfews, and the summary execution of political opponents.
In 1986, an insurgent group called the Surinamese Liberation Army (SLA), also known as the Jungle Commando began attacking economic targets along the porous eastern border with French Guiana. The group consisted mainly of Maroons, an ethnic group of African descent, and sought to restore democracy by overthrowing the Bouterse regime. To suppress the rebellion, government forces indiscriminately targeted the Maroon population. On 29 November 1986, Bouterse's soldiers killed at least 39 civilians, mostly women and children, in the Maroon village of Moiwana. Thousands of Maroons fled to neighboring French Guiana as a result of the military's campaign against the civilian population.
In 1988, a newly elected democratic government initiated peace negotiations with the SLA, with France acting as a mediator, resulting in the signing of the Kourou Accord in 1989. The agreement included provisions for the incorporation of SLA fighters into the police force and the repatriation of Maroon refugees from French Guiana. However, Bouterse and other military leaders, who seized power again on 24 December 1990 in what became known as the Telephone Coup, managed to block the accord's implementation. Following another round of elections in 1991, the government of Ronald Venetiaan concluded a final peace settlement in August 1992, effectively ending Suriname's internal armed insurgency.
However, on 24 December 1990 Bouterse and other military leaders seized power again in what became known as the Telephone Coup, effectively blocking the accord's implementation. Following another round of elections in 1991, the government of Ronald Venetiaan concluded a final peace settlement in August 1992, ending Suriname's internal armed insurgency.
