From: barnhart@gagme.chi.il.us (Mr Aaron Barnhart)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african
Subject: IPS: SURINAME: ALTHOUGH STAGE SET, INSUR
Date: 29 Aug 92 19:56:00 GMT
Organization: Evanston, Illinois
Originator: barnhart@gagme

Reference: Disarmament & Peace
Title: SURINAME: ALTHOUGH STAGE SET, INSURGENTS MAY NOT DISARM


georgetown, aug 21 (ips/bert wilkinson) -- the peace process in
suriname is expected to move one step ahead saturday, when the
two rebel groups with which the government waged a bush war for
more than five years begin turning in their weapons.

the laying down of arms is part of the treaty the government
signed with the insurgents aug. 8. the accord also offers
amnesty to the rebels and binds the government to providing
money to develop the interior areas where they live.

but according to one diplomatic source in the capital
paramaribo, it is doubtful whether the groups will disarm, given
the hoftility of the military-backed national democratic party
(ndp) to the amnesty given.

the ndp walked out of parliament just before the treaty was
signed with the rebels earlier this month.

''this tells you how fragile the process is and the attitude
of the military in this,'' the source said.

the military, which ruled suriname between 1980 and 1991 when
it lost elections, is still extremely powerful in this south
american country.

another objector to the amnesty offer made to the
bushfighters is the powerful human rights lobby, moiwana 86. the
group says that under the official forgiveness human rights
abuses committed during the war years will go unpunished.

moiwana 86 has challenged the validity of the amnesty offer
in court and has lost.

meanwhile according to malcolm warner, a reporter with srs
radio in paramaribo, plans to receive the weapons are going
ahead. a joint team of local, guyanese and brazilian military
officers will begin receiving the arms at various centres
countrywide this weekend.

the exercise is expected to last for one month.

the diplomatic source said the guyanese and brazilians were
askednto form part of the oas-supervised peace process because
of years of unbroken and mutually respectful ties with
paramaribo.

venezuela's conspicuous absence, the source said, was due to
that country's harsh criticism of the military regime during its
10 year rule. (more/ips)

suriname: although stage set, insurgents may not disarm (2)

the two main insurgent groupings which fought against the
government were the jungle commandos comprising maroons
(descendants of runaway slaves) and the amazonas, made up of
amerindians.

the jungle commandos began their guerrilla activity in 1986
in protest of years of neglect by successive central governments
and the amazonas went to war in july 1989 over the terms of a
peace accord signed between the maroons and the government.

the amazonas felt that one condition  -- that the maroons be
enlisted in the rural police network -- endangered their
community.

both uprisings claimed dozens of lives and disrupted
operations in the vital bauxite amd oil palm industries for long
periods.

some 10,000 inhabitants of the war torn areas fled to
neighbouring french guiana during the hostilities but half of
that number has since returned. (end/ips/bw/da/92)


-- 
Mr. Aaron Barnhart@gagme.chi.il.us -- posting from Evanston, Illinois
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african