Ronnie Brunswijk joined the
Suriname National Army at the age of 18. He was considered a good soldier, and was sent to
Cuba for
commando training. After finishing his training, he was appointed as a personal bodyguard of
Desi Bouterse. During a state visit to
Nickerie a gunshot was fired. Brunswijk immediately rushed forward to protect the President. Later it was discovered that a soldier in the honorary guard had fired his weapon by accident. and refused back pay by Major
Paul Bhagwandas. In 1986, Brunswijk was sentenced
in absentia for a bank robbery in
Moengo on 26 April. Said bank robbery, a non-violent offence, earned Ronnie Brunswijk the title "Robin Hood of Suriname" due to his liberation of stolen funds from government held institutions that were returned to the people. During the war, the Jungle Commando received arms and funding from the
Netherlands, and serve as military advisor.
Moiwana massacre On 29 November 1986, the
Surinamese army took revenge by attacking Brunswijk's birth village of
Moiwana, where they murdered at least 39 villagers, mostly women and children. They burned down Brunswijk's house and destroyed the village. More than 100 refugees fled across the border to
French Guiana, which became a destination for other refugees as the war wore on. The
Inter-American Court of Human Rights ordered the government to pay millions of US dollars in compensation to the 130 survivors of the village attack.
Post-war activities The government and Brunswijk negotiated a ceasefire on 21 July 1989 in
Kourou that included conversion of the Jungle Commando to a regular part of the Surinamese Army, with responsibility for patrolling their traditional interior territory. The government also promised jobs for Maroons in gold prospecting and forestry, as they were isolated from many developing industries. On 8 August 1992, a final peace treaty was signed. The Netherlands prosecuted both Brunswijk and Bouterse
in absentia for drug trafficking, and both men were convicted. Brunswijk was convicted
in absentia in the Netherlands to eight years imprisonment for
cocaine smuggling by a Dutch court in
Haarlem despite numerous witnesses contesting the claims. Brunswijk appealed the ruling pursuant to insufficient evidence. In 2000, he was convicted to six years on appeal. There is as of July 2020, an Interpol arrest warrant against him. Brunswijk is chairman of the Surinamese political party
General Liberation and Development Party (
Algemene Bevrijdings- en Ontwikkelingspartij, ABOP). In December 2007, Brunswijk and
Paul Somohardjo assaulted
Rashied Doekhi, a member of Desi Bouterse's party, in the Surinamese parliament after Doekhi assaulted Brunswijk and Somohardjo, then chair of the Surinamese parliament. The event was broadcast on live television. Brunswijk was owner of Robruns NV, a gold mining company. According to a '''', Brunswijk owned six gold concessions in 2012. In July 2020, Brunswijk transferred ownership of the gold concessions to a foundation in order to qualify for the Vice Presidency.
2020 elections Brunswijk was elected to the
National Assembly in the
2020 elections. He was elected as Chairman of the
National Assembly of Suriname on 29 June 2020, in an uncontested election.
Dew Sharman was elected as Vice Chairman. Brunswijk subsequently ran for vice president, who was installed on 14 July. Brunswijk was the shortest serving chairman in the history of Suriname. On 1 July 2020, Brunswijk tested COVID-19 positive. He had been tested, because
Paul Somohardjo with whom he had lengthy meetings about the new government tested positive. He was released from hospital on 6 July. To show his appreciation for the hospital staff, he donated three cars to nurses who did not have transportation. On 7 July, the coalition nominated
Chan Santokhi as
President of Suriname and Ronnie Brunswijk as
Vice-president. No other candidates were nominated, and therefore Brunswijk was elected as vice president on 13 July by acclamation in an
uncontested election. Brunswijk was inaugurated as vice president on 16 July on the
Onafhankelijkheidsplein in
Paramaribo in ceremony without public due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. == Football career ==