New River Triangle

The area known in Suriname as the Tigri area is known in Guyana as the New River Triangle. Suriname claims the New River Triangle area, which encompasses a mass of land that is larger than the size of Jamaica. The eastern boundary where Guyana, Brazil and Suriname meet was clearly marked out since 1936. Suriname’s claim to the Corentyne River area remains a matter of contention since there has never been a treaty that clearly demarcated the boundary between the neighboring countries. Both Guyana and Suriname claimed the South East Berbice region. Suriname considers the area part of the Coeroenie area of District Sipaliwini, whereas the Guyanese consider it part of their East Berbice-Corentyne region.

The New River Operation was an operation launched by the GDF in August 1969 to clear all encroachers from the New River area and to recapture the Tigri Airstrip. This operation was named "Operation Climax" and was executed with maximum precision. Through this operation the GDF managed to recapture the airstrip and clear the area of all encroachers without any lives being lost. The operation was basically bloodless. Due to the surprise attack at dawn on the encroachers by the GDF the encroachers ultimate decision was a hasty withdrawal, thus there were no deaths, only some POWs. This operation was one of the most successful ventures of the force.

In October 2015 Suriname’s President Desi Bouterse said that the issue regarding the New River Triangle territory, which both countries had been claiming intermittently for decades, was back on the agenda.