PARAMARIBO, Suriname (AP) 鈥� Desi Bouterse, a military strongman who led a 1980 coup in the former Dutch colony of Suriname then returned to power by election three decades later despite charges of drug smuggling and murder, has died. He was 79.
Surinamese Vice President Ronnie Brunswijk wrote on Facebook Wednesday that Bouterse鈥檚 鈥渓ife had a lasting impact on our country and his efforts will not be forgotten.鈥� The cause of death was not immediately known.
Bouterse was applauded by supporters for his charisma and populist social programs. For his opponents, he was a ruthless dictator who was convicted of drug trafficking and extrajudicial killings.
, Bouterse was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the n December 1982, ending a historic 16-year legal process. He then vanished and never served time in jail despite the sentencing.
鈥淭here is nobody who has shaped the history of Suriname since its independence like Desi Bouterse,鈥� said Dutch historian Pepijn Reeser, who wrote a biography of Bouterse in 2015.
The Associated Press
