Surinamese Military Coup

Date: February 25, 1980 • Location: Brownsweg, Suriname

This milestone marked the outbreak and beginning of this historic period, which spanned 1980–1987.

The government of Suriname is overthrown by a military coup led by Dési Bouterse.

Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country on the northern coast of South America, also considered part of the Caribbean region. Situated slightly north of the equator, over 90% of its territory is covered by rainforest, the second-highest proportion of forest cover in the world. Suriname is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, French Guiana to the east, Brazil to the south, and Guyana to the west. It is the smallest sovereign country in South America by both population and territory, with around 612,985 inhabitants in 2021 in an area of approximately 165,940 square kilometres. The capital and largest city is Paramaribo, which is home to roughly half the population.