Talking Points on Suriname for DDI – 9 December 1986
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The Bouterse regime has begun a major military offensive and apparently accepted limited military aid from radical states.
[CENSORED] troops have been deployed outside the capital and apparently have reopened roads and secured, at least temporarily, the garrison town of Albina and the mining town of Moengo, which had been under rebel attack for several weeks.
[CENSORED] the security of the capital has been assigned partly to the militia — a poorly trained group of about 1,000 individuals, many of them leftist sympathizers.
[CENSORED] Libya partially funded a helicopter purchased from a Venezuelan firm for use by the military and that Tripoli paid for 100 AK-47 rifles shipped from Nicaragua to Suriname via Cuba.
[CENSORED] helicopter pilots arrived in Suriname last month and are awaiting delivery of two additional helicopters.
The offensive may improve troop morale and the Army’s image, but it 25X1 P is unlikely to deter the insurgents from additional acts of sabotage against Suriname’s already weak economy.
[CENSORED] two mercenaries who fought with the insurgents say rebel forces number 200, only 80 of whom participate in military operations.
- Even so, rebel forces last week reportedly damaged an electrical transmission tower near the site of the US-owned SURALCO alumina refinery.
- Continuing hostilities near SURALCO’s operations increase the likelihood that the company will withdraw from Suriname, a move that would devastate the economy.
There is growing evidence that the military is involved in a reign of terror against Suriname’s Bush Negro ethnic minority, who comprise the bulk of rebel leader Brunswijk’s supporters.
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Bouterse’s more notorious henchmen reportedly are responsible for unexplained deaths of a number of citizens, mainly Bush Negroes, in and around the capital.
[CENSORED] he military has killed some 30 Bush Negro villagers, mainly women and children, during the recent offensive.
Civilian support for the regime remains tentative and thin and could erode quickly if Bouterse takes harsher measures against the populace.
The Surinamese leader last week reimposed a state of emergency that again affords the military almost unlimited power and may signal that the regime plans to reverse recent tentative steps toward democracy.
Most political, labor, and other civilian continue to voice support of Bouterse, partly out of fear, and the populace has yet to rally behind him.
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