coup plotter, president and fugitive for December murders

In the years after the murders, democratization slowly resumed. Bouterse’s former personal bodyguard, Ronnie Brunswijk, turned away from him. The two fought a bloody battle against each other between 1986 and 1992. Dozens of people died.

Bouterse’s military regime was increasingly reviled by the population due to the economic decline and food shortages. The dictatorship did not end until 1988. But behind the scenes, Bouterse remained active and influential.

In the late 1990s, Bouterse was tried in the Netherlands and convicted in absentia for involvement in a drug transport. The basis of that conviction later turned out to be not entirely undisputed. Lawyer Inez Weski unsuccessfully submitted several requests for review to the Supreme Court, because the key witness was allegedly bribed by the Dutch government.

The term drug boss stuck with him. If only because his son Dino ended up behind bars in both Paramaribo and the United States for drugs and arms trafficking. Bouterse senior didn’t seem to mind. He said that politicians in The Hague wanted to get rid of him. The relationship with the Netherlands remained difficult.

Bouterse managed to return to power through democratic means. His charisma and multi-ethnic party – averse to foreign interference – were contagious to the young population of Suriname. In 2010, a large majority voted for his National Democratic Party.

Bouterse’s dream to become the great popular leader came true and the economic winds blew favorably in those years. The Bouterse government spent a lot of money on social projects and he was re-elected in 2015.

But not long after, the cracks in his policies became visible. The government’s revenues fell sharply due to low commodity prices. The state treasury turned out to be virtually empty and corruption was rampant despite Bouterse’s promises. The government borrowed exorbitant amounts.

Meanwhile, the population began to grumble. Low incomes experienced difficult times and the middle class also faced major setbacks.

The December murders also continued to haunt Bouterse. Despite several attempts to halt the trial, the public prosecutor issued a severe sentence against Bouterse: twenty years in prison. On December 20 last year, the judge finally sentenced him to this prison term. That was a victory for the relatives of victims of the December murders, and a stain on Bouterse’s reputation.

The former president was supposed to report to prison on January 12 this year, but did not do so. He had been on the run ever since. The authorities were unable to track him down and rumors spread that Bouterse was in the jungle of Suriname. There were also stories that he was just sitting at home. Today it was announced that he has passed away. Where he died and when is not yet known.

Shortly after the first reports of his death, many people gathered today at the party office and at Bouterse’s home. Many people showed emotion.

This once again showed how divided the Surinamese population is over the former president and army leader. For some, he is still a folk hero who brought Suriname to great heights. But for others he is forever the face of the December murders, the black page in Surinamese history.