Surinam, 1980 — forced resignation attempt
Event Summary
The dataset records an event coded as a forced resignation in Suriname on 6 May 1980, within the turbulent months following the 25 February 1980 Sergeants' Coup that had overthrown the civilian government of Prime Minister Henck Arron, barely five years after the country's independence from the Netherlands. The February coup, led by a group of sixteen non-commissioned officers including Sergeant Major Desi Bouterse, installed a National Military Council that held real power behind a nominal civilian administration. The following months saw continued instability as the military consolidated control, sidelined or forced out civilian and rival figures, and reshuffled the government.
The May 1980 event, coded as a forced resignation, reflects one such episode of the military pushing out officials during this period. Bouterse steadily emerged as the strongman of Suriname, and by 1982 his regime carried out the notorious December Murders of opponents, entrenching a military dictatorship that dominated the country through the 1980s.
Researched Details
Researched
Independent research, added record by record. Hover any label for what it means.
Sources
Editorial Note
Cross-Reference
Only one dataset carries it. One of the three reference datasets we check against carries this event; the others do not list it. That is not a contradiction — the datasets cover different periods and use different thresholds — but it means the record has had less outside corroboration.
Identifiers for finding this same event in the other datasets:
- Cline Center id
11505061980
How the match is made is described in crossref-report.md.
Outcome and Target
Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: The post-coup order under the military council saw officials forced out as Bouterse consolidated power in 1980.
Baseline coding: Coup attempt failed to remove the incumbent. Recorded leader fate: remained in office; not physically harmed. The baseline file does not name individual targets; researched names are kept in a separate layer.
Baseline Dataset Citation
Baseline Source-Document Entries
CSP
The Guardian
This is the citation trail carried by the baseline dataset, grouped by outlet and rejoined from the line-wrapped original. Coup Atlas has not independently re-checked every document; read the original before citing a specific claim. URLs the import damaged beyond safe repair are shown as plain text and listed in citations-report.md. How this list is built →