History History

The date of arrival of the first Europeans in Suriname is generally fixed at 1499, but it wasn't until the ^17th century that Suriname was permanently colonized by the Dutch. On the banks of the Suriname River, not far from the native village of Parmirbo, Dutch traders erected a trading post surrounded by a palisade and flanked by a fort, which later became Fort Zeelandia. A few years later, between 1616 and 1626, permanent Dutch settlements were established on the estuaries of the Essequibo, Berbice and Demara rivers (present-day Guyana).

A contingent of 500 French from La Rochelle set up a colony on the banks of the Saramacca, but deserted three years later. In 1639, 400 Frenchmen arrived again, but were exterminated three years later by the natives. Meanwhile, around 1630, the British established themselves in the region, at the mouth of the Suriname River.

Lord Willoughby, then governor of Barbados, took the fort from the Dutch and renamed it Fort Willoughby. Thanks to the labor force of black slaves from Barbados, the English colony was prosperous. The British set up sugar cane and tobacco plantations on the western banks of the Suriname River and founded the town now called Paramaribo.

Zeeland's Abraham Crijnssen invades the colony of Willoughby, and the Dutch cede the colony to the Dutch in the Peace of Breda. Thanks to the Treaty of Bréda, signed on July 31, 1967, Suriname became Dutch and the fort was renamed Fort Zeelandia.

Following the Third Anglo-Dutch War, in which Great Britain recaptured and then lost Suriname, the terms of the Peace of Breda were ratified by the Treaty of Westminster, signed in 1674: the Netherlands exchanged one of their North American colonies, New Amsterdam (now New York), for Suriname.

The "Suriname Company", whose territory extended from the Maroni to the Essequibo (i.e., present-day Suriname and Guyana), was established with three participants sharing equally in the company's profits: the city of Amsterdam, the Dutch East India Company, and the Van Aerssen van Sommelsdijck family. The head of the latter family, Cornelis Van Aerssen Van Sommelsdijk (Corneille Van Aarssen), became governor of Suriname. He improved security on the plantations but was eventually killed by his troops during a mutiny in 1688. This "Suriname society" became the property of the city of Amsterdam in 1770, and then ended in 1795.

To improve plantation yields, Holland brought in black Africans, who were then enslaved. These slaves outnumbered the Europeans on the plantations, so much so that by the second half of the ^18th century, they were escaping from the plantations to live in the jungle. After a century of slave revolts and escapes (or "marronnage"; these fugitives were called "Maroons" or "Black-Browns") due to the harsh working conditions, the Treaty of Auca was signed in 1760 between the planter-settlers, under Dutch rule, and the Ndjuka, Black-Brown slaves who had joined the resistance. In 1783, the Dutch then signed a treaty with the rebel leader Aluku Nengé, nicknamed Boni, recognizing genuine autonomy for the Black-Browns who had taken refuge in the forest areas.

With France invading the Netherlands to found the Dutch Republic, Suriname and the colonies of Essequibo, Berbice and Demara were again occupied by Great Britain. The British abolished the slave trade in 1808 and improved the situation of slaves.

After the defeat of Napoleon, the colonies came under the administration of the Netherlands, causing the West India Company and the city of Amsterdam to lose all their privileges. The British then returned Suriname to the Kingdom of the Netherlands (1816) following the convention of London (August 13, 1814) and the second treaty of Paris (November 20, 1815). A governor was appointed by The Hague.

A violent fire ravaged the city of Paramaribo: 400 houses and other buildings were destroyed around Independence Square and Waterkant. In 1832, a second fire struck the capital and 46 houses were destroyed. Jodensavanne, a Jewish settlement in Suriname located 50 km from the capital, was devastated and abandoned.

The Dutch were the last of the Europeans to abolish slavery, freeing 33,000 forced laborers. A few years earlier, plantation owners had encouraged the migration of workers from other continents to alleviate labor shortages on the plantations. These included Indonesians (from the island of Java), Chinese, Portuguese and Lebanese, followed after 1873 by Indians (mainly from West Bengal). In 1866, Suriname adopted its own parliament.

The irremediable decline of the plantations made the local economy dependent on bauxite, whose development dates from 1915, when the American company Suralco arrived. The first mine was dug in Moengo in 1920. From 1938 onwards, the aluminum extracted from the bauxite was used to build airplanes and thus supply the Allied forces during the Second World War.

Gandhi puts an end to the mass exodus of Indian workers to Suriname.

With the Netherlands under German occupation, Suriname was left to its own devices. In 1941, the United States sent 3,000 men to protect the bauxite mines. At the height of the conflict, the Germans anchored a huge ship - the Goslar - in the port of Paramaribo. Before it could be seized by the Surinamese authorities, it was sunk by its captain. The remains can still be seen in the capital's harbour.

After the war, the political status of the Dutch colonies changed. In 1950, Suriname acceded to parliamentary rule and universal suffrage, then in 1954, the Constitution of the colony was revised, granting it an internal autonomous status. The areas of defense and foreign affairs remained under the control of the Netherlands.

A popular Surinamese politician of Afro-Surinamese origin, Johan Adolf Pengel was Prime Minister from 1963 to 1969. Very close to Lachmon and his VHP party, the largest Hindu party, he pursued a policy of fraternization so that the two parties could learn to understand each other and was also the first politician to seek redress from the former colonial regime, giving Suriname a sense of dignity. He was soon accused of exercising his power in a paternalistic manner, and an education strike in 1969 led to his immediate resignation. He died a year later. His name was given to the international airport.

Between 1961 and 1966, the Wia Wia, Brinckheuvel and Coppename Monding nature reserves were created, followed by Galibi in 1969, Brownsberg National Park in 1970 and Sipaliwini and Hertenrits nature reserves in 1972.

After a period when mainly conservatives governed - Creoles (1963-1969) or Indians (called Hindustanis in Suriname, 1969-1973) - the progressive NPK (Nationale Partij Kombinatie) won the 1973 elections. Its leader, Henck Arron, became Prime Minister and negotiated independence with the Dutch government. Independence became effective in November 1975 and a parliamentary-type constitution was passed. Dr Johan Ferrier became the first president of independent Suriname, with Henck Arron as Prime Minister. It was at this time that an exodus of Hindustanis took place: 140,000 of them, i.e. a third of the population, emigrated to the Netherlands.

Born in Dutch Suriname, Johan Ferrier, a teacher by training, helped form the National Party in 1946. Prime Minister from 1955 to 1958, he was then Governor of Suriname from 1968 to 1975 (his last) before being chosen as the very first President of independent Suriname. Five years later, Desiré Bouterse's coup d'état forced him to resign. Dying 4 months after his 100th birthday, Johan Ferrier is considered the most important Surinamese politician of the last century.

Economic difficulties, the mass exodus of Indians to the Netherlands and a political scene in which a multitude of small parties, often built on an ethnic basis, clashed, led to the coup d'état of February 1980. A National Military Council was set up, and a doctor, Hendrik R. Chin A Sen, became Prime Minister. After another coup d'état in August 1980, he was appointed President of the Republic. The new government, a military dictatorship led by Lieutenant-Colonel Desiré Bouterse, dissolved Parliament, suspended the Constitution and banned political parties. An attempted coup d'état in March 1982, designed to restore a pro-Western parliamentary regime, failed; President Chin A Sen was deposed. Desi Bouterse, the country's strongman, liquidated all his opponents.

15 opponents of the military regime (lawyers, journalists, soldiers) are summarily murdered in Fort Zeelandia. This event left a deep and lasting impression on the Surinamese people. The Netherlands and the United States stop providing development aid. The economy collapses and emigration to the Netherlands accelerates (a trend that will continue over the years, with around 400,000 people emigrating in 2010).

The nature reserves of Copi, Boven Coesewijne, Wanekreek, Peruvia and Bigi Pan are created.

The revolt of the Bushinengés, led by Ronnie Brunswijk, one of Bouterse's bodyguards, broke out. This was the beginning of Suriname's civil war: government forces massacred some thirty civilians in the Bushi Nengé village of Moiwana, near the border with French Guiana. International pressure for a democratization process intensified.

The elections were won by the Front for Democracy and Development, an anti-Butarese coalition, with 40 and then 51 seats. A new constitution was adopted. The National Assembly elected Ramsewak Shankar, the opposition candidate, as President of the Republic (in January 1988). In 1989, Shankar negotiated a peace agreement with the guerrillas that opened the way for thousands of refugees to return home.

A coup d'état led by Bouterse took place and a new government supported by the army took power, with Johan Kraag as president.

Bouterse again tried to win public support, but lost to Ronald Venetiaan, the candidate of a multi-ethnic coalition hostile to the military, who was elected president of the Republic. Democracy was restored. Dutch aid resumed.

A Surinamese poet and politician, he was the sixth president of the Republic of Suriname. Following the unstable political situation established by Desiré Bouterse, he was able to restore democracy to Suriname. He has been the president of the Republic three times. He was also awarded two major prizes: the Dutch Commander of the Order of Honor of the Yellow Star in 1978 and the Grand Master of the same order in 1991.

A peace agreement - the Kourou Accords - is signed between the Surinamese government and the guerrillas.

Suriname joined the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), which aims to strengthen inter-state ties in the Caribbean. That same year, the National Museum of Suriname took over Fort Zeelandia, which was a prison during the military occupation. The fort opened its doors to the general public on November 25, 1995.

Jules Wijdenbosch, supported by Desi Bouterse, is elected President of the Republic. In 1999, a year after the creation of the Central Suriname Nature Reserve (to be listed by UNESCO in 2000), Paramaribo's historic city center was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, due to "the gradual fusion of European architecture and building techniques with indigenous South American materials and crafts, which eventually gave rise to a new architectural language".

Jules Wijdenbosch was removed from office following numerous strikes related to the country's economic difficulties. In May 2000, Ronald Venetiaan won the presidential elections again.

Following the Cusco Declaration, UNASUR, the Union of South American Nations, was created, including Suriname. Four years after this declaration, on May 23, 2008, the constitutive treaty of UNASUR was signed during the Third Summit of Heads of State held in Brasilia (Brazil). Its primary objective is "to build a South American identity and citizenship and to develop an integrated regional space. This intergovernmental organization integrates two customs unions present in the region: the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) and the Andean Community (CAN), within the framework of a continuous integration of South America. January^1, 2006 also marks the beginning of Suriname's participation in the CARICOM single market, along with Guyana.

Ronald Venetiaan wins again the elections (coalition of 8 parties, 29 deputies out of 51).

It wasn't until the end of 2007 that the trial of the alleged perpetrators of the "December 1982 Massacres" began, with 25 suspects on the stand, including Desi Bouterse. To this day, the trial remains inconclusive.

The population of Suriname is 520,000, including many foreigners (40,000 Brazilians, 10,000 Haitians, etc.). The emigrant diaspora in the Netherlands is about 350,000.

In the general elections, Desi Bouterse's coalition came out on top, but without an absolute majority. He was nevertheless elected President of the Republic on August 12, 2010. In Suriname, voting is not considered a right, but a duty. The inhabitants of this young republic are very politically committed. During the election period, many calm debates took place. It was a great first for this country, synonymous with the advance of democracy.

The seventh meeting of UNASUR leaders is being held in Suriname. The pro tempore presidency is held this year by Suriname. The meeting was marred by an important diplomatic incident: President Bouterse's son, Dino, was arrested by U.S. authorities during a trip to Panama on charges of arms and drug trafficking.

The death penalty is abolished by the Parliament of Suriname.

Megacombinatie, Desi Bouterse's grand coalition, won the legislative elections. However, the coalition did not obtain the 2/3 of the seats required for the re-election of the former dictator. He then formed alliances and was re-elected as president by the National Assembly on July 14, 2015. The president is both the head of state and the head of government. Dési Bouterse won the presidential election the following month.

The country's economic situation is deteriorating and the Surinamese dollar, formerly pegged to the U.S. dollar, has been heavily devalued. The weight of the informal economy remains considerable (about 30% of GDP), particularly that of activities at the edge of legality (casinos, exchange houses for 200,000 tourists, smuggling, drug trafficking, prostitution).

At a new trial, thirty-five years after the massacres of December 1982, 20 years' imprisonment is demanded of President Desi Bouterse. Thanks to a legal ruse (he managed to prevent the trial from taking place by invoking national security), Bouterse once again escaped justice... For a while!

Following the fires that ravaged huge areas of the Amazon forest, representatives of seven countries with territory in the Amazon (Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guyana and Suriname; those of France and Venezuela were not present) met in Leticia (in the Colombian Amazon) to sign the "Pact of Leticia", an agreement to prevent other potential environmental crises. However, no coercive measures are included in this pact.

First case of coronavirus detected. Like all countries in the world at that time, Suriname did not escape the Covid-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, its isolated position in the middle of the Amazonian forest and its very low rate of mass tourism allowed it to suffer relatively little from the effects of this disease. Less than a year later, in February 2021, Suriname began its vaccination campaign, which was primarily aimed at health care workers and residents of retirement homes.

Chan Santoki, nicknamed the "Sheriff" by the population, is elected President of Suriname. This former police commissioner, then minister of justice, led several investigations against Desiré Bouterse (the outgoing president, sentenced in 2019 to 20 years in prison for the 1982 massacres). Following these scandals, which shocked the national and international scenes, the opposition refused to put forward a candidate, and Santokhi is therefore the only candidate in the presidential election, elected by acclamation. His ambition is to restore serenity and combat corruption and drug trafficking in Suriname.

Desi Bouterse's troubles with the law are still ongoing, and an arrest warrant was announced by the police on this date for the 78-year-old former president of Suriname, who was sentenced on appeal on December 19, 2023 to 20 years in prison for the assassination of 15 opponents in 1982. Desi Bouterse, who had appeared free at his appeal trial, did not attend the reading of his sentence. He was due to report to prison to serve his sentence, but failed to respond to the summons and remains a wanted man.

The case stalled and several months later, in July 2024, he was still being actively sought by the Surinamese police. According to sources, he fled to Venezuela.