Acehnese Civil War

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Acehnese Civil War
Date  ??-2005 Location Aceh, Indonesia Result Ceasefire, rebels disarmed
Combatants
Military of Indonesia	Free Aceh Movement

The Acehnese Civil War was a civil war in Aceh, Indonesia, between the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the central government of Indonesia. Many Acehnese people feel that most of the economic benefits of the region's great natural resources, especially oil, leave the region and benefit the Jakarta government and foreign corporations instead of the local area. Aceh possesses one of Indonesia's largest reserves of oil and natural gas. A number of multinational corporations, such as Exxon Mobil, maintain a presence in Aceh.

[edit] Background

There is a cultural and religious divide between Aceh and the rest of Indonesia as well. A more conservative form of Islam than is mainstream in most of Indonesia is widely practiced in Aceh. The broadly secular policies of Suharto's New Order regime (1965-1998) were especially unpopular in Aceh, where many resented the central government's policy of promoting a unified 'Indonesian culture'.

[edit] 2002 to cease-fire

In 2002 the separatists and the Indonesian government agreed on a peace plan. However it collapsed in early 2003 and the government imposed martial law and began a large-scale offensive in the region. In November 2003 the martial law was extended for a further six months. According to a Human Rights Watch report [1], the Indonesian military committed widespread human rights abuses during the invasion and occupation, with more than 100,000 people being displaced in the first seven months of martial law and extra-judicial killings being common.

After the devastating tsunami in December 2004, both sides declared a cease-fire and reiterated the need to resolve the conflict. However, sporadic armed clashes continue to occur throughout the province. Because of the separatist movement in the area, the Indonesian government has had access restrictions in place on the press and aid workers. The Indonesian government has, however, opened the region up to international relief efforts.

The administration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, inaugurated in late 2004, has also expressed a somewhat greater willingness to negotiate with rebel forces in the aftermath of the disaster. Yudhoyono has suggested the possibility of further increased autonomy for the region, and of amnesty for former rebels.

Ongoing talks held in Finland between GAM and the Indonesian Government in 2005 have resolved the conflict. Breakthroughs in negotiations for peace have resulted in a peace agreenment that ended the long war in Aceh. The treaty was signed in Helsinki in August 2005, and the first regional elections were held in December 2006.