Free Aceh Movement

The Free Aceh Movement (Indonesian: Gerakan Aceh Merdeka or simply GAM), also known as the Aceh Sumatra National Liberation Front (ASNLF), was an armed separatist group seeking independence for the Aceh region of Sumatra from Indonesia. The Indonesian government called the group the Aceh Security Disturbance Movement.

Background

While Aceh has a higher proportion of Muslims than the rest of Indonesia, the roots of the separatist movement are historical rather than religious. Aceh was never under the formal control of the colonial Netherlands and Indonesian independence in 1949 had been from the Dutch. Therefore, the Acehnese separatists state that the region should have been consulted as to if it wanted to join the Indonesian republic. Aceh had been granted special status by the government in 1959, allowing Islamic traditions and laws greater prominence. Centralizing tendencies of the government of Suharto led Hasan di Tiro, a descendant of the last sultan of Aceh, to form GAM on 24 December 1976 and declare Acehnese independence. The main perceived threats were to Acehnese religion and culture from the "neo-colonial" government and the rising numbers of Javanese migrants. The uneven distribution of income from Aceh's substantial natural resources was another point of contention. Despite these problems GAM is believed to have widespread support among the Acehnese people, although government-controlled election results indicate otherwise.

Guerrilla war

At first the guerilla war of GAM was almost entirely unsuccessful, and the government appeared to have entirely neutralised the group by 1977. The group renewed its activities in the 1980s, apparently with financial support from Libya and Iran, fielding around 3,500 soldiers. Although it failed to gain widespread support, the group's actions led the government to institute repressive measures, which aided GAM by alienating the civilian population. The area was given "Operational Military" status from 1991 to 1995. Negotiations between the two sides, although improved by the toppling of Suharto, were endlessly broken off, and both the military and GAM were often accused of human rights abuses.

In 1996 the Indonesian government announced the end of GAM. The TNI (Tentara Nasional Indonesia) presence in the region was not greatly reduced and reports of arrests, torture, and extra-judicial killings continued. In 1999 a troop withdrawal was announced, but the military presence remains high and troop numbers are believed to have risen during the rule of Megawati Sukarnoputri to around 35,000 by mid-2002. Security crackdowns in 2001 and 2002 resulted in several thousand civilian deaths. Through out the conflict an estimated 15,000 people have been killed.

Peace negotiations

The leaders of GAM, Hasan di Tiro, and his chief deputy, Zaini Abdullah, and Malik Mahmud have lived in exile in Stockholm, Sweden. The group's main Indonesian spokesman is Abdullah Syafei'i Dimatang. In the late 1990s GAM began peace talks with Jakarta, brokered by the Swedish government.

In 1999 it was reported that the group had split into two factions, ASNLF (representing the original group) and the Free Aceh Movement Government Council (MP-GAM). This has been denied by GAM spokespersons but widely reported by the Indonesian media.

On Tuesday, 28 December 2004, in the aftermath of the devastation caused by a massive tsunami, GAM declared a ceasefire of hostilities to allow for aid to reach within the disputed area. In turn, the Indonesian government temporarily removed restrictions of northern Sumatra to allow for rescue efforts in that area.

Other Aceh separatist groups exist, and there is some tension between them and GAM over tactics and GAM's monopoly of negotiations with the government.

On 27 February 2005, the Free Aceh Movement and the delegation of the Indonesian government started another round of peace talks in Vantaa, Finland, moderated by former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari. On 16 July 2005, the Indonesian Minister of Communication and GAM announced a peace deal to end the thirty-year insurgency. The peace agreement was officially signed on 15 August by chief Indonesian negotiator Hamid Awaluddin and GAM leader Malik Mahmud.

Under the terms of the agreement, both sides agreed to cease all hostilities with immediate effect. GAM also agreed to disarm, while the Government pledged to withdraw all non-local military and police by the end of 2005. An Aceh Monitoring Mission will be set up by the EU and ASEAN to oversee the process of disarmament and the reintegration into society of GAM members. A presidential decree granted amnesty to about five hundred former GAM members who were in exile in other countries, and unconditionally released about 1,400 members who had been jailed by the Government.

The Government agreed to facilitate the establishment of Aceh-based political parties; this had been one of the most contentious issues in previous negotiations. A "truth and reconciliation commission" will be organized. On the question of the uneven distribution of income, it was settled that seventy percent of the income from local natural resources will stay within Aceh.

On 27 December 2005, the leaders of the Free Aceh Movement announced that they had disbanded their military wing.The action, which is to take effect immediately, follows from earlier peace talks and the destruction of 840 weapons by international observers, Free Aceh movement commander Sofyan Daud told reporters "The Aceh national army is now part of civil society, and will work to make the peace deal a success." [http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1445520

External links

Secessionist organizations | Sovereignty movements | National liberation movements | Politics of Indonesia | History of Indonesia

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Free Aceh Movement

Background

Guerrilla war

Peace negotiations

See also

External links