Indonesia withdrew 2,500 troops from the Banda Aceh region of the island of Sumatra on Oct. 24. The act of peace was aimed at ending nearly three decades of war in one of the provinces hit hardest by the Dec. 26 tsunami. The withdrawal brought the number of troops pulled from Aceh since late September to 12,000. It concluded the second of four stages of withdrawals, which are part of a peace accord signed on Aug. 15 by the Indonesian government and the separatist Free Aceh Movement (Gerakan Aceh Merdeka, GAM).
The conflict between the Aceh separatists and the Indonesian government first began in 1945 after the two sides allied to force the Dutch from the region. The Indonesian government promised GAM independence in return for their efforts, but never gave them sovereignty. GAM has been fighting for Aceh independence since 1976.
“The conflict in Aceh, on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, is an increasingly brutal war in which both sides have violated human rights with impunity,” reports Human Rights Watch.
In the summer of 2001, massacres and violence continued on both sides in Banda Aceh. Indonesian police prevented human rights groups from entering the area.
The dialogue between the two sides collapsed when the Indonesian government arrested two key GAM officials. The government arrested and detained many non-violent political activists and human rights monitors in the process.
In May 2001, GAM members abducted and murdered the wife of an Indonesian military officer. The Indonesian army retaliated by executing two men from the village from which the woman disappeared, and then burning more than one 100 shops and houses.
Under the latest peace agreement, both sides were asked to give up either manpower or arms to make steps towards a truce. In compliance with the agreement, GAM will surrender 840 weapons to peace monitors in four phases by the end of 2005. Indonesia, which had more than 30,000 soldiers and 15,000 policemen in Aceh before the negotiating period, must cut its forces to 14,700 soldiers and 9,100 police.
“Overall the situation has been much better ever since the peace agreement; there is less fear, and more people are no longer afraid to travel,” said Mirza Risqan, a contractor working in Aceh.
The deal was only reached after the rebels dropped the demand for full independence. GAM was given political representation and amnesty in return. The Dec. 26 tsunami destroyed much of the Banda Aceh region, leaving more than 167,000 people dead or missing.
“The tsunami took 6 percent of the Aceh population. Entire governments have collapsed. Both sides have suffered,” said George Guo, Associate Professor of Political Science. “Who is supposed to take care of the recovery?”
Despite the ravages of the tsunami, both sides returned to the negotiating table. The rebels called a ceasefire so that aid workers could safely reach the devastated area.