Independence movements

History of French Guiana independence advocacy

From the UTG's 1971 independence position and the MDES's 1991 founding, to the 2017 general strike and the MDES's 2022 legislative election victory.

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1971-1991: UTG position and MDES founding

The UTG adopted an independence position in 1971; the MDES was founded in 1991 as a declared pro-independence party.[1] [2]

· Organisation founded

Founding of the MDES, 1991

A declared pro-independence political party was founded in French Guiana.

2017: the general strike

The "Pou Lagwiyann Dékolé" movement led a month-long protest primarily over economic and infrastructure demands, resolved with €2.1 billion in relief.[3]

Sources for this page

Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.

  1. 1.

    Claim: The Union des Travailleurs Guyanais (UTG), French Guiana's main trade union, has supported the principle of French Guianese independence since 1971.

    • Union des travailleurs guyanais (Wikipedia (French)) link, Independence position section. Source record
  2. 2.

    Claim: The Decolonization and Social Emancipation Movement (MDES) was founded in 1991 as a declared pro-independence political party in French Guiana; its candidate Jean-Victor Castor was elected to represent French Guiana's 1st constituency in the French National Assembly in the 2022 legislative election.

    • Decolonization and Social Emancipation Movement (Wikipedia) link, Founding and 2022 election section. Source record
  3. 3.

    Claim: The March-April 2017 "Pou Lagwiyann Dékolé" protest movement, led by a coalition including the "Collective of 500 Brothers," began on 20 March 2017 in Kourou and spread across French Guiana; its forty-page memorandum of demands to French ministers centred on security, healthcare, education, agriculture, development and infrastructure rather than a formal independence declaration, and the movement was resolved by a 21 April 2017 agreement between the French government, protesters and local MPs that authorised an emergency relief plan of up to €2.1 billion, without any change to French Guiana's status as a French overseas department.

    • 2017 social unrest in French Guiana (Wikipedia) link, Protest demands and resolution section. Source record

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Printed from https://independenceatlas.com/movements/french-guiana-independence/history · last substantive update 24 September 2026.