Moiwana
Encyclopedia
Moiwana is a Maroon
village in the Marowijne district
in the east of Suriname
.
The village was the scene of the Moiwana massacre on November 29, 1986, during the Suriname Guerrilla War
between the Surinamese military regime, headed by Dési Bouterse
and the Jungle Commando
led by Ronnie Brunswijk
. The army attacked the village, killing at least 35 of the inhabitants, mostly women and children, and burning the house of Ronnie Brunswijk. The survivors fled with thousands of other inland inhabitants over the Marowijne river to neighbouring French Guiana
.
The human rights
organisation Moiwana '86 has committed itself to justice with regard to this event.
A chief inspector of the police, Herman Gooding, was murdered in August 1990 while carrying out an investigation of the massacre. Reportedly he was forced out of his car near Fort Zeelandia
and shot in the head, with his body left outside the office of Desi Bouterse. Other police investigators fled the country, stalling the investigation.
The government has stated that it is still continuing its investigation of the massacre, but that prospective witnesses had either moved, died or were uncooperative. It has also said that an investigation of the murder of Herman Gooding was continuing.
In August 2005, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights
ordered Suriname to pay 3 million USD in compensation to 130 survivors of the massacre, and to establish a 1.2 million USD fund for the development of Moiwana.
Maroon (people)
Maroons were runaway slaves in the West Indies, Central America, South America, and North America, who formed independent settlements together...
village in the Marowijne district
Marowijne District
Marowijne is a district of Suriname, located on the north-east coast. Marowijne's capital city is Albina, with other towns including Moengo and Wanhatti...
in the east of Suriname
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
.
The village was the scene of the Moiwana massacre on November 29, 1986, during the Suriname Guerrilla War
Suriname Guerrilla War
The Suriname Guerrilla War was a war in Suriname between 1986 and 1992 which was fought between then-army chief Dési Bouterse and the Jungle Commando of his former bodyguard Ronnie Brunswijk, who originated from the Maroon social group....
between the Surinamese military regime, headed by Dési Bouterse
Dési Bouterse
Desiré Delano "Dési" Bouterse is the 9th and current President of Suriname.As an army officer, he was the de facto leader of Suriname through most of the 1980s, serving as Chairman of the National Military Council...
and the Jungle Commando
Jungle Commando
The Jungle Commando was a guerrilla commando group in Suriname. It was founded by Ronnie Brunswijk in 1986 to ensure equal rights for Suriname's minority Maroon population.group was formed after the troops Suriname commit mass murder against 35 people Moiwana Village, near Moengo, after the ...
led by Ronnie Brunswijk
Ronnie Brunswijk
Ronnie Brunswijk is a Surinamese rebel leader, politician, business man, and convict. After having been the personal body guard of Desi Bouterse in the early 1980s, he turned against his former boss by forming the Jungle Commando which fought the Bouterse regime "on behalf of the Maroon...
. The army attacked the village, killing at least 35 of the inhabitants, mostly women and children, and burning the house of Ronnie Brunswijk. The survivors fled with thousands of other inland inhabitants over the Marowijne river to neighbouring French Guiana
French Guiana
French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west...
.
The human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
organisation Moiwana '86 has committed itself to justice with regard to this event.
A chief inspector of the police, Herman Gooding, was murdered in August 1990 while carrying out an investigation of the massacre. Reportedly he was forced out of his car near Fort Zeelandia
Fort Zeelandia
Fort Zeelandia may refer to either of three forts, two built by the Dutch and the other renamed by them:* Fort Zeelandia on Formosa * Fort Zeelandia at Paramaribo...
and shot in the head, with his body left outside the office of Desi Bouterse. Other police investigators fled the country, stalling the investigation.
The government has stated that it is still continuing its investigation of the massacre, but that prospective witnesses had either moved, died or were uncooperative. It has also said that an investigation of the murder of Herman Gooding was continuing.
In August 2005, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights
Inter-American Court of Human Rights
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights is an autonomous judicial institution based in the city of San José, Costa Rica. Together with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, it makes up the human rights protection system of the Organization of American States , which serves to uphold and...
ordered Suriname to pay 3 million USD in compensation to 130 survivors of the massacre, and to establish a 1.2 million USD fund for the development of Moiwana.
External links
- UN Human Rights Committee press release; Eightieth Session 2173rd Meeting (PM)
- Amnesty International report on Suriname
- Suriname's govt to apologise for 1986 massacre (14 July 2006)
- Rainforest Warriors (book including information on Moiwana Massacre)