Desiré Delano Bouterse, the former president of Suriname, has died, according to local media reports this morning. Bouterse was a controversial figure, remembered by some as a national hero and by others as a dictator, murderer, and drug dealer.
In recent years, he was primarily in the news due to his prosecution for involvement in the December murders of 1982, where 15 political opponents were killed. In 2022, Bouterse was sentenced to 20 years in prison but had been on the run since his conviction.
Details about his whereabouts over the past year remain unclear.
Source: NOS