Surinamese former president Desi Bouterse (79) has died

Former Surinamese president Desi Bouterse has died at the age of 79. The Surinamese Minister of Foreign Affairs confirmed this to the Autovantra.

According to the minister, Bouterse’s body is in the Surinamese capital Paramaribo. Local media report that the former president died “after a short illness at a safe house”.

In recent hours, rumors have been circulating in Suriname that Bouterse has died. People gathered at the office of his party, the NDP, and also at Bouterse’s home in Paramaribo. The road there was closed.

Desi Bouterse had been on the run since his final conviction more than a year ago for his role in the December murders. In 1982, fifteen opponents of the Bouterse regime were killed in Fort Zeelandia, in Paramaribo.

When the Surinamese justice department issued an arrest warrant, Bouterse went into hiding and nothing has been heard from him since. Two days ago, his home was raided, but as far as we know nothing was found.

Bouterse was the leader of the military regime in the 1980s, which came to power through a coup. Bouterse led a group of non-commissioned officers that staged a coup in early 1980. He remained in power until 1988.

In 2010 he returned to power through democratic elections. He was re-elected in 2015. He remained president until 2020.