Surinam, 1983 — coup (actor type unspecified) attempt
Event Summary
The dataset records an event coded as a coup of unspecified actor type in Suriname on 25 November 1983 against the military regime of Desi Bouterse, whose dictatorship, internationally isolated after the December 1982 murder of fifteen opponents at Fort Zeelandia, faced continued plotting and instability. By late 1983 Bouterse's leftist government, which had drawn close to Cuba and Grenada, was shaken by the collapse of its ally Maurice Bishop's regime in Grenada and the subsequent United States invasion there in October 1983, which prompted Bouterse to expel Cuban personnel and reorient his position. Amid this turbulence there were reported plots and countermoves against the regime.
A coup attempt in November 1983 came within that context and did not unseat Bouterse, who continued to dominate Suriname despite mounting economic collapse, a growing interior guerrilla insurgency led by his former bodyguard Ronnie Brunswijk from 1986, and eventual pressure that forced a return to nominal civilian rule at the end of the 1980s, though Bouterse remained a decisive power for decades.
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
11511251983
How the match is made is described in crossref-report.md.
Outcome and Target
Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: Desi Bouterse survived the November 1983 plotting amid regional upheaval and continued to dominate Suriname.
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
Los Angeles Times
New York Times
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 →