The Tucayana Amazonas was an

Amerindian In the Americas, Indigenous peoples comprise the two continents' pre-Columbian inhabitants, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with them in the 15th century, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with the pre-Columbian population of ...

guerrilla Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...

commando group in

Suriname Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered as part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a Human Development Index, high level of human development; i ...

. Prior to the Tucayana Amazonas, many of the fighters had been soldiers during the

Surinamese Interior War The Surinamese Interior War () was a civil war fought in eastern Suriname between 1986 and 1992. The conflict primarily involved the Jungle Commando, a rebel group composed largely of Saramaka (Maroon) fighters and led by former soldier Ronnie ...

who fought on the side of the National Army against the

Jungle Commando The Jungle Commando (formally known as the Suriname National Liberation Army) 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. The group was for ...

. The group felt betrayed by the 1989 Treaty of Kourou, a

ceasefire A ceasefire (also known as a truce), also spelled cease-fire (the antonym of 'open fire'), is a stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions often due to mediation by a third party. Ceasefires may b ...

agreement between the

and the

Surinamese army The Surinamese Land Forces () is the land component of the Suriname National Army (SNA). It is the largest service branch of the Suriname National Army. Organization The army consists of some 1,000 personnel and has 4 Division (military), div ...

, which gave the

Maroons Maroons are descendants of Africans in the Americas and islands of the Indian Ocean who escaped from slavery, through flight or manumission, and formed their own settlements. They often mixed with Indigenous peoples, eventually evolving into ...

more rights, but neglected indigenous rights. The Tucayana claimed to be supported by all tribes. On 31 August 1989, a group of Amerindians took possession of the ferry near

Jenny Jenny may refer to: * Jenny (given name), a popular feminine name and list of real and fictional people * Jenny (surname), a family name Animals * Jenny (donkey), a female donkey * Jenny (elephant), a female elephant in the German Army in Worl ...

and called themselves the Tucayana Amazonas. They initially caused confusion with non-natives because they thought that Tucayana was a tribe. The Tucayana went on to take the villages of

Apoera Apoera, also Apura, is a town in western Suriname. The village has a population of 777 people as of 2020. It owns the community of Tropica. It is the final destination of the Southern East-West Link. north-west on the other side of the Courantyn ...

, Washabo, and

Bigi Poika Bigi Poika is a resort ( ten Districts are divided into 62 resorts) located in the Para District Para is a district of northern Suriname. Para's capital city is Onverwacht, with other towns including Paranam, and Zanderij. Para has a popula ...

, where they set up their headquarters. The Tucayana Amazonas were headed by Thomas Sabajo with his brother Hugo "Piko" Sabajo as second in command in Bernharddorp, which was also liberated. They were fighting against the Army, however the seizure of the strategic villages triggered no reaction. On 13 October the town of

Moengo Moengo () is a town in Suriname, located in the Marowijne District, Marowijne district, between Paramaribo and the border town Albina, Suriname, Albina on the Cottica River. Moengo is also a resort (municipality) in the district of Marowijne. Moeng ...

, a stronghold of the

, got attacked; 20 soldiers were killed in the fighting. Infighting occurred between the brothers, and on 31 January 1990, Thomas was deposed as leader. However, Thomas switched sides to the Army which quickly moved in to regain control over the villages. The

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...

and the

Organisation of American States The Organization of American States (OAS or OEA; ; ; ) is an international organization founded on 30 April 1948 to promote cooperation among its member states within the Americas. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, the OAS is ...

claim that the Tucayana had always been a proxy army of the National Army, because the Army did not want to break the terms of the Treaty of Kourou. After the fall of the villages, Piko fled to

Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...

. Eight of his supporters were killed near Matta. In early February 1990, the commanders and indigenous chiefs released a statement in support of Thomas. A week later, Piko was arrested by the police in Guyana and returned to Suriname. Piko and three of his supporters were subsequently jailed in Fort Zeelandia. On 19 February 1990, they were later taken to Apoera where they were killed. The Tucayana Amazonas continued as a political group, and they supported the elections of 1991. On 8 August 1992, a peace treaty was signed between the National Army, the

and the Tucayana Amazonas. 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. As of 2020, the bodies of the victims have not been discovered and the incidents have not been investigated. The activist group ''Dwaze Moeders van Suriname'' claims 12 victims, however

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

considers the number of victims unknown.

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights - Annual Report 1989-1990
{{Authority control Paramilitary organisations based in Suriname Guerrilla organizations 1989 establishments in Suriname 1992 disestablishments in Suriname Organizations established in 1989 Organizations disestablished in 1992