Over Two Weeks Post-Disaster, Aceh’s Situation Remains Dire

Aceh, MINA – More than two weeks after catastrophic floods and landslides, the situation in Aceh, Indonesia, remains dire, with urgent need for international humanitarian assistance as rescue and repair operations are severely limited and progressing slowly, according to a statement from a former spokesperson of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

The statement highlights that local authorities have very limited resources, and the condition of the terrain is largely inaccessible without airborne operations, with only a few helicopters deployed in hard-hit areas. It further claims that international assistance is being hindered because the central government in Jakarta has refused to declare the catastrophe a national disaster, contrary to its response to the 2004 tsunami. The government’s claim of being able to handle the situation alone is contrasted with reports of little significant change on the ground.

Specific incidents cited include 500 tons of logistics from the Acehnese community in Malaysia and a plane loaded with supplies being denied entry, with a local journalist reporting on the incident allegedly facing intimidation.

The statement references the 2005 Helsinki peace agreement (MoU) between GAM and the Indonesian government, which granted Aceh “direct and unhindered access to foreign countries, by sea and by air.” It argues that the current calamity, devastating almost the whole of Aceh and parts of North and West Sumatra, is compounded by factors like illegal deforestation, evident in piles of wood and debris.

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While acknowledging the efforts of several Malaysian and local NGOs, the statement points out that many areas remain uncovered, including Beutong Ateueh, Langkahan, Bener Meriah, Takengon, and parts of Tamiang. It reports the recent discovery of 82 bodies buried in mud in Tamiang and notes that many victims in washed-away vehicles have yet to be retrieved.

Current reported figures include over 1,000 people killed, several thousand missing, and more than a million displaced living in extreme conditions. The risk of an epidemic is described as imminent.

The statement warns that without immediate international assistance in distribution, reconstruction, and rehabilitation—similar to the scale after the 2004 tsunami—it could take decades for Aceh to recover, and more lives would be lost. It respectfully requests:
1. Emergency Relief Aid (food, clean water, hygiene kits, medicine, shelter).
2. Technical and Logistical Support for search and rescue and disaster coordination.
3. Long-Term Recovery Assistance for rebuilding infrastructure and livelihoods.

The appeal concludes with a call for immediate action to save lives, signed by Bakhtiar Abdullah, identified as a member of the GAM negotiating team for the Helsinki Peace Talks and a former GAM spokesperson.[]

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Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)