TALKING POINTS ON SURINAME FOR DDI

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91B00874R000200200013-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 4, 2011
• Sequence Number: 13
• Publication Date: December 9, 1986
• Content Type: MISC

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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/17: CIA-RDP91 B00874R000200200013-5
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9 December 1986
Talking Points on Suriname for DDI
The Bouterse regime has begun a major military offensive and
apparently accepted limited military aid from radical states.
troops have been deployed
outside the capital-and apparently have reopened roads
and secured, at least temporarily, the garrison to of
Albina and the mining town of Moengo, which had been
under rebel attack for several weeks.
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.
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.
helicopter pilots arrived in Suriname last mon and are
awaiting delivery of two additional helicopters. F
The offensive may improve troop morale and the Army's image, but X
is unlikely to deter the insurgents from additional acts of sabotage
against Suriname's already weak economy.
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
of terror against Suriname's Bush Negro ethnic minority, who comp
the bulk of rebel leader Brunswijk's supporters.
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Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/17: CIA-RDP91 B00874R000200200013-5
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/17: CIA-RDP91 B00874R000200200013-5
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/17: CIA-RDP91 B00874R000200200013-5
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/17: CIA-RDP91 B00874R000200200013-5
-- Bouterse's more notorious henchmen reportedly are responsible
for unexplained deaths of a number of citizens, mainly Bush
Negroes, in and around the capital.
the military has killed some 30
Bush Negro villagers, mainly women and children, during the
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.
ILLEGIB
I Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/17: CIA-RDP91 B00874R000200200013-5
 ILLEGIB
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/17: CIA-RDP91 B00874R000200200013-5
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/17: CIA-RDP91 B00874R000200200013-5