Former President of Suriname Desi Bouterse, on the run for a year, dies at 79

Arriving in power for the first time at the age of 34 after a coup d'état, he withdrew before returning and ruling the country for ten years, until 2020. At the end of 2023, he was definitively convicted of murdering 15 people.

Published on 25/12/2024 18:43

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Former President of Suriname Desi Bouterse in Paramaribo, January 5, 2023. (RANU ABHELAKH / AFP)
Former President of Suriname Desi Bouterse in Paramaribo, January 5, 2023. (RANU ABHELAKH / AFP)

The former president of Suriname Desi Bouterse has died at the age of 79, the current president of the country announced on Wednesday, December 25. Chan Santokhi called on “Desi” supporters to “remain dignified and remain calm, maintain peace and order, and pray in the spirit of these special days.” His body was transported to his residence in the capital, Paramaribo, where his family and party supporters gathered in the early hours of the morning to bid him a final farewell.

Very popular in Suriname, Désiré Delano Bouterse came to power at the age of 34 following a coup in 1980, when he was a sergeant major in the army. After stepping down in 1987 under international pressure, he returned to power in 1990 following a second coup, this time without bloodshed. Desi Bouterse left office a year later, before being elected president in 2010 and remaining in power until 2020.

In December 2023, after several trials, he was definitively sentenced to 20 years in prison for the murder of 15 people, including lawyers, journalists, and imprisoned soldiers, in December 1982. He then fled. During the trial, Desi Bouterse admitted to having heard gunshots on the day of the opponents' execution, but denied having given the order. He claimed that his trial was “policy” and that the Netherlands, a former colonial power, had conspired against him.

Interpol issued an arrest warrant for Desi Bouterse in 1999, after he was sentenced to 11 years in prison in the Netherlands for cocaine trafficking. His leadership status protected him from extradition at the time.

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