The Tucayana Amazonas was an Amerindian guerrilla commando group in Suriname.
| Tucayana Amazonas | |
|---|---|
| Leaders | Thomas Sabajo Hugo "Piko" Sabajo |
| Dates of operation | 1989-1992 |
| Headquarters | Bigi Poika |
| Active regions | West Suriname |
| Ideology | Amerindian self-determination |
| Opponents | Surinamese army |
Prior to the Tucayana Amazonas, many of the fighters had been soldiers during the Surinamese Interior War who fought on the side of the National Army against the Jungle Commando.[1] The group felt betrayed by the 1989 Treaty of Kourou,[2] a ceasefire agreement between the Jungle Commando and the Surinamese army, which gave the Maroons more rights, but neglected indigenous rights.[1] The Tucayana claimed to be supported by all tribes.[2]
On 31 August 1989, a group of Amerindians took possession of the ferry near Jenny and called themselves the Tucayana Amazonas.[3] They initially caused confusion with non-natives because they thought that Tucayana was a tribe.[4] The Tucayana went on to take the villages of Apoera, Washabo,[5] and Bigi Poika, where they set up their headquarters.[1] The Tucayana Amazonas were headed by Thomas Sabajo with his brother Hugo "Piko" Sabajo as second in command in Bernharddorp, which was also liberated.[1]
They were fighting against the Army, however the seizure of the strategic villages triggered no reaction. On 13 October the town of Moengo, a stronghold of the Jungle Commando, got attacked;[6] 20 soldiers were killed in the fighting.[7] Infighting occurred between the brothers, and on 31 January 1990, Thomas was deposed as leader.[8] However, Thomas switched sides to the Army which quickly moved in to regain control over the villages.[5] The Human Rights Watch and the Organisation of American States claim that the Tucayana had always been a proxy army of the National Army,[9][7] because the Army did not want to break the terms of the Treaty of Kourou.[10][11]
After the fall of the villages, Piko fled to Guyana. Eight of his supporters were killed near Matta.[1] In early February 1990, the commanders and indigenous chiefs released a statement in support of Thomas.[12] A week later, Piko was arrested by the police in Guyana and returned to Suriname.[13] Piko and three of his supporters were subsequently jailed in Fort Zeelandia.[14] On 19 February 1990,[15] they were later taken to Apoera where they were killed.[1]
The Tucayana Amazonas continued as a political group, and they supported the elections of 1991.[16] On 8 August 1992, a peace treaty was signed between the National Army, the Jungle Commando and the Tucayana Amazonas.[17] In 1992, the Vereniging van Inheemse Dorpshoofden in Suriname (Association of Indigenous Village Chiefs in Suriname) was founded to regain traditional control in the villages and to act as a political pressure group.[18]
As of 2020, the bodies of the victims have not been discovered and the incidents have not been investigated.[15][5] The activist group Dwaze Moeders van Suriname claims 12 victims,[15] however Amnesty International considers the number of victims unknown.[5]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f "Het vergeten verhaal van de Tucajana's". De Ware Tijd via Nickerie.net (in Dutch). Retrieved 18 June 2020.
- ^ a b "Sranan. Cultuur in Suriname". Digital Library for Dutch Literature (in Dutch). 1992. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
- ^ Boven 2006, p. 197.
- ^ Boven 2006, p. 199.
- ^ a b c d "Desi Bouterse". Amnesty International (in Dutch). Retrieved 18 June 2020.
- ^ "Bauxietstad Mungo door onbekende groep overvallen". Reformatorisch Dagblad via Digibron (in Dutch). 14 October 1989. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
- ^ a b "ANNUAL REPORT OF THE INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS 1989-1990". Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. 17 May 1990. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
- ^ "Tucayana's breken met eigen leiders". Reformatorisch Dagblad via Digibron.nl (in Dutch). 1 February 1990. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
- ^ "SURINAME 1992". Human Right Watch. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
- ^ "Factcheck: sprak pater Toon de waarheid?". Waterkant (in Dutch). 13 January 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
- ^ Janssen 2011, p. 226.
- ^ "25 Jaar geleden - 5 – 10 februari 1990". Dagblad De West. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
- ^ "25 Jaar geleden - 12 – 17 februari 1990". Dagblad De West (in Dutch). Retrieved 18 June 2020.
- ^ "'Bouterse moet zijn leugens intrekken'". De Groene Amsterdammer (in Dutch). 9 May 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
- ^ a b c "Executie Surinaamse Inheemsen 'niet vergeten'". Waterkant (in Dutch). 10 December 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
- ^ Boven 2006, p. 206.
- ^ Boven 2006, p. 207.
- ^ Boven 2006, p. 210.
Bibliography edit
- Boven, Karin M. (2006). Overleven in een Grensgebied: Veranderingsprocessen bij de Wayana in Suriname en Frans-Guyana (PDF). Amsterdam: Rozenberg Publishers.
- Janssen, Roger (2011). In Search of a Path: An Analysis of the Foreign Policy of Suriname from 1975 to 1991. Leiden: Brill. p. 208. ISBN 978-90-04-25367-4. JSTOR 10.1163/j.ctt1w8h0wm.