The Tucayana Amazonas was an Amerindian guerrilla commando group in Suriname .
33-843: Prior to the Tucayana Amazonas, many of the fighters had been soldiers during the Surinamese Interior War who fought on the side of the National Army against the Jungle Commando . The group felt betrayed by the 1989 Treaty of Kourou, a ceasefire agreement between the Jungle Commando and the Surinamese army , which gave the Maroons more rights, but neglected indigenous rights. The Tucayana claimed to be supported by all tribes. On 31 August 1989,
66-578: A bloody coup against the country's Government. Bouterse eventually consolidated all power. In 1987 he directed the National Assembly to adopt a new constitution that allowed him to continue as head of the army, as a civilian government was established under close watch. The war began as a personal feud between Bouterse and Brunswijk, a Maroon who had served as Bouterse's bodyguard. It later assumed political dimensions. Brunswijk demanded democratic reforms, civil rights, and economic development for
99-521: A group of Amerindians took possession of the ferry near Jenny and called themselves the Tucayana Amazonas. They initially caused confusion with non-natives because they thought that Tucayana was a tribe. The Tucayana went on to take the villages of Apoera , Washabo , and Bigi Poika , where they set up their headquarters. The Tucayana Amazonas were headed by Thomas Sabajo with his brother Hugo "Piko" Sabajo as second in command in Bernharddorp , which
132-504: A meeting between representatives took place in the eastern mining town of Moengo . The government offered integration of Jungle Commando into the Suriname Army, and jobs for Maroons in gold prospecting and forestry in return for complete disarmament. On 27 March 1991, final talks were held in the town of Drietabbetje , effectively putting an end to the conflict. Despite the agreement, a number of Jungle Commando officials residing in
165-590: A report by Aide Médicale Internationale , killed civilians including women and children. Both parties have denied that any civilians had been killed. On 27 September 1989, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights looked into the matter, declared that this constituted a very serious violation of the Right to Life, recommended that the Government of Suriname investigate the matter, and that
198-518: A statement in support of Thomas. A week later, Piko was arrested by the police in Guyana and returned to Suriname. Piko and three of his supporters were subsequently jailed in Fort Zeelandia . On 19 February 1990, they were later taken to Apoera where they were killed. The Tucayana Amazonas continued as a political group, and they supported the elections of 1991. On 8 August 1992, a peace treaty
231-675: The December murders ). The victims were all members of the Suriname Association for Democracy, a group critical of the Surinamese military government. The group, according to government officials, was part of a conspiracy that was planning a coup d'état on Christmas Day. The state later admitted of conducting inadequate investigations into the case. An investigation began in 2008. Despite accepting political responsibility, Bouterse denied direct involvement. On 29 November 1986,
264-599: The Sergeants' Coup ( Dutch : De Sergeantencoup ), was a military coup in Suriname which occurred on 25 February 1980, when a group of 16 sergeants ( Dutch : groep van zestien , lit. 'group of sixteen') of the Surinamese Armed Forces (SKM) led by Dési Bouterse overthrew the government of Prime Minister Henck Arron with a violent coup d'état . This marked the beginning of
297-425: The military dictatorship that dominated the country from 1980 until 1991. The dictatorship featured the presence of an evening curfew , the lack of freedom of press , a ban on political parties (from 1985), a restriction on the freedom of assembly , a high level of government corruption, and the summary executions of political opponents. The Netherlands granted Suriname independence on 25 November 1975. It
330-553: The 1989 Treaty of Kourou, which gave the Maroons more rights, but neglected indigenous rights. On 31 August 1989, they took possession of the ferry near Jenny and called themselves the Tucayana Amazonas . The group went on to take possession of the villages of Apoera , Washabo , and finally Bigi Poika where they set up their headquarters. The Tucayana Amazonas were headed by Thomas Sabajo and his brother Hugo "Piko". In-fighting occurred and Thomas switched sides to
363-585: The Jungle Commando. A few kilometers further, they were ordered to dig their own graves. Six of the Maroons were summarily executed while the seventh died from sustained injuries while trying to escape. An IACHR investigation into the case was launched in January 1988. On 10 September 1993 the court awarded the victims' families U.S.$ 450,000 in damages and required Suriname to compensate the families for
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#1732772001085396-541: The National Army led by then-army chief and de facto head of state Dési Bouterse . Suriname has one of the most ethnically diverse populations in South America, with people of ethnic Indian (South Asian), Javanese, Chinese, European, Amerindian, African (Creole and Maroon), and multiracial origin. The Maroons' ancestors were African slaves who escaped from coastal Suriname between the mid-seventeenth and late eighteenth centuries to form independent settlements in
429-471: The Netherlands denounced the conditions and vowed to continue their armed struggle. On 8 August 1992, a peace treaty was signed between the National Army, the Jungle Commando, and the Tucayana Amazonas. On 7 and 8 December 1982, military policemen kidnapped 15 men from their beds, most of them civilians, placed them on a bus and then murdered them after conspiracy charges were lodged against them (see
462-736: The Surinamese Army which quickly moved in to regain control over the area. Piko fled to Guyana , but was arrested by the police in February 1990, and returned to Suriname where Piko and his supporters were killed. Cease-fire violations continued after the truce without escalating into a full-scale conflict. But by September 1989, at least 300 people had been killed, numerous villages were destroyed, and bauxite mining operations were being disrupted. An estimated 7000 maroons fled to refugee camps in French Guiana . On 19 March 1991,
495-476: The army, but elections were held later that year . Dissatisfied with the government, Bouterse overthrew them on 24 December 1990 during another coup . The event became popularly known as "the telephone coup." In 1991 , elections returned to Suriname, and the New Front party gained 30 of the 51 parliament seats. Ronald Venetiaan , a fierce opponent of Bouterse, became president. In 1996 , Jules Wijdenbosch
528-457: The capital Paramaribo unless the government agreed to negotiations. Despite the threats, the rebels withdrew 36 hours later on Brunswijk's orders. On 7 June 1989 talks were held on the island of Portal. The delegations reached an agreement on a tentative peace proposal. The government signed the pact on 21 July 1989, which was approved by parliament on 7 August 1989. The accord declared the intention of both sides to end hostilities. A cease-fire
561-530: The country's Maroon minority. The Surinamese Interior War started in Stolkertsijver on 22 July 1986 at around 03:00. 12 soldiers guarding the checkpoint were captured. Later that night, an armed group opened fire on the army barracks in Albina . The fighting lasted three hours, and one soldier and two civilians were wounded. Later it was confirmed that the Jungle Commando headed by Ronnie Brunswijk
594-714: The coup d'état by Bouterse, most of the political authority transferred to the military leadership. Until 1988, the titular presidents were essentially army-installed by Bouterse, who ruled as a de facto leader with few practical checks on his power . On 8 December 1982, a group of fifteen academics, journalists, lawyers, union leaders and military officials who opposed the military rule in Suriname were snatched from their beds and brought to Fort Zeelandia in Paramaribo , where they were tortured and executed by Bouterse's soldiers. Fourteen of those executed were Surinamese, and
627-607: The coup soldiers took control of the military camps in Paramaribo and arrested superiors who opposed them. The main resistance occurred at the Central Police Station, which was burned to the ground. After the police surrendered, the coup leaders took control. Arron was then imprisoned on charges of corruption. President Johan Ferrier was eventually forced out of office in August 1980, and several months after
660-516: The expenses incurred in locating the victims' bodies. A second decision further determined the financial reparations insufficient, ordering the state to re-open the Saramaca medical dispensary and the school in the victims' village. 1980 Surinamese coup d%27%C3%A9tat Coup attempt succeeds. [REDACTED] Government of Suriname [REDACTED] Surinamese Armed Forces The 1980 Surinamese coup d'état , usually referred to as
693-476: The interior. They settled in interior parts of Suriname, and gained independence by signing a peace treaty with the Dutch in the 1760s. The Dutch were unable to conquer them and agreed to allow them autonomy within their territory. In 1975 Suriname gained full independence from the Netherlands. Dési Bouterse participated in building a national army. Five years later, in 1980, he and fifteen other army sergeants led
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#1732772001085726-518: The journalist Frank Wijngaarde was a Dutch national. The events are known as the December murders . In 1986 Bouterse's soldiers killed at least 39 citizens, mostly children and women, of the Maroon village of Moiwana , as part of the Surinamese Interior War , which was fought between the soldiers of Bouterse and the Jungle Commando led by Ronnie Brunswijk . A new constitution was adopted via referendum in 1987 . Bouterse remained in charge of
759-442: The military government executed more than 40 people, including women and children, and burned the village of Moiwana . Three years after the attack, a statement was issued, in which Bouterse assumed direct responsibility for the murders. As a result of an Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) investigation, the Surinamese government made a public apology to the victims' families in 2006, additionally paying compensation to
792-532: The number of victims unknown. Surinamese Interior War The Surinamese Interior War ( Dutch : Binnenlandse Oorlog ) was a civil war waged in the Sipaliwini District of Suriname between 1986 and 1992. It was fought by the Tucayana Amazonas led by Thomas Sabajo and the Jungle Commando led by Ronnie Brunswijk , whose members originated from the Maroon ethnic group, against
825-471: The relatives of the victims are entitled to fair compensation. The IACHR identified 15 cases of deaths, four disappearances and one was unclear. Six of the cases were children, and three were women of which one was raped before she was killed. On 31 December 1987, during a counter-insurgency operation in the Atjoni region seven Maroon civilians were driven off in a military vehicle on suspicion of belonging to
858-470: The survivors. The perpetrators of the crime remained unpunished. On 23 April 1987, the war had come to Sipaliwini . The Jungle Commando headed by Ronnie Brunswijk ordered the villagers of Pokigron into the jungle, robbed them of their possessions, and burned their houses. On 11 September 1987, the National Army led by Dési Bouterse, retaliated by attacking the Jungle Commando, and according to
891-628: The villages. The Human Rights Watch and the Organisation of American States claim that the Tucayana had always been a proxy army of the National Army, because the Army did not want to break the terms of the Treaty of Kourou. After the fall of the villages, Piko fled to Guyana . Eight of his supporters were killed near Matta . In early February 1990, the commanders and indigenous chiefs released
924-442: Was also liberated. They were fighting against the Army, however the seizure of the strategic villages triggered no reaction. On 13 October the town of Moengo , a stronghold of the Jungle Commando , got attacked; 20 soldiers were killed in the fighting. Infighting occurred between the brothers, and on 31 January 1990, Thomas was deposed as leader. However, Thomas switched sides to the Army which quickly moved in to regain control over
957-582: Was behind both attacks. The National Army responded by destroying the temple in Moengotapoe , and capturing all males present. In November 1986, military forces attacked Moiwana , home village of Brunswijk. They massacred 35 people, mostly women and children. They destroyed most of the village, burning down Brunswijk's house and others. More than 100 survivors fled across the border to French Guiana. On 1 June 1989 rebels captured Afobaka Dam , Suriname's main hydroelectric plant, and threatened to flood
990-484: Was elected as president of Suriname on behalf of Bouterse's party, the National Democratic Party (NDP). In 2000 and 2005 , Ronald Venetiaan was elected as president of Suriname. Dési Bouterse himself returned to power as president in 2010 . After becoming president of Suriname, Bouterse designated February 25, the anniversary of the day of the coup d'état, as a national holiday. On the day of
1023-430: Was marked by social unrest, economic depression, and rumors of corruption. The hastily created Suriname National Army had many non-commissioned officers who tried to unionize and complained about corruption and poor pay. Prime Minister Henck Arron refused to recognise them and arrested the ringleaders, who were to go to trial on 26 February 1980. Elections were also scheduled for March 1980. On 25 February 1980,
Tucayana Amazonas - Misplaced Pages Continue
1056-638: Was signed between the National Army, the Jungle Commando and the Tucayana Amazonas. In 1992, the Vereniging van Inheemse Dorpshoofden in Suriname (Association of Indigenous Village Chiefs in Suriname) was founded to regain traditional control in the villages and to act as a political pressure group. As of 2020, the bodies of the victims have not been discovered and the incidents have not been investigated. The activist group Dwaze Moeders van Suriname claims 12 victims, however Amnesty International considers
1089-485: Was signed in June 1989. An emergency aid program to rebuild Maroon villages, an end to a state of emergency in the eastern part of the country, and the return of refugees to Suriname were among the actions launched by the peace agreement. The government had proposed that the Jungle Commando troops were to be transformed into a security unit, to patrol the interior of the country. A group of indigenous people felt betrayed by
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