By Ivan Cairo
Caribbean Net News Suriname Correspondent
Email: ivan@caribbeannetnews.com

PARAMARIBO, Suriname: Former armed rebels in Suriname suspended protest demonstrations in the capital, Paramaribo, on Thursday after a brief meeting with acting Speaker of the House, Caprino Alendy. The ex-rebels of the insurgent group Jungle Commando are demanding full implementation of a 1992 peace agreement with the government.

Claiming that so far all but nothing of the agreement has been implemented, the disgruntled former combatants this week staged peaceful protest demonstrations in front of the National Assembly, Suriname’s parliament.

According to spokesmen for the group Kofi Ajongpong and Henk Papato, the acting speaker advised that he will discuss their grievances with President Ronald Venetiaan. The former rebels are looking forward to an invitation of the Head of State to discuss the matter. Alendy told reporters that the meeting with the president is scheduled for next week Monday.

The former militants are annoyed that employment so far has not been provided as promised in the peace accord. In contrast to what, according to the protesters is perceived in the community, they are not specifically interested in jobs at one of the armed forces.

“We don’t have to be recruited specifically by one of the forces. That is not the case. We can serve in any field as long as we get the opportunity,” the ex-rebels say.

They are especially displeased over claims by the government that the state there is a recruitment stop for civil servants.

“If there is a stoppage to recruit new personnel, how come 1,500 persons were recruited just before the May 2005 elections? If you (the government) could hire these 1,500 individuals, than what about us,” said Papato, a former field commander of the Jungle Commando.

Besides employment, housing and social and medical care are some of the issues the authorities still haven’t dealt with adequately, the demonstrators claim.

Since it was the Venetiaan administration which signed the peace agreement in 1992, the ex-rebels claim that the president should find a solution for the current situation.

Since 1992, only 66 former rebels have been recruited by the Central Intelligence and Security Service (CIVD), while for the remaining 300 ex-insurgents so far nothing has been done.

Talks with President Venetiaan in March 2005 were unsatisfactory to members of the former insurgent group. In the meeting with the Head of State the former insurgents were told that there was a lot of misunderstanding surrounding the implementation of the peace agreement.