On December 12, 2002 the Government of the Republic of Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) signed a historic peace agreement in Geneva. Although this is not the first attempt at peace, the sustained and significant international involvement in this recent effort has given people in Aceh and Indonesia reason for a cautious hope that peace is indeed on the way. Many Acehnese, exhausted from decades of violence and human rights abuses, are welcoming the news, but some remain skeptical.
The Government of Indonesia and the GAM have been engaged in peace talks since January 2000, claiming as their top priority the security and welfare of the Aceh people. The GAM’s separatist war for an independent state began in 1976; since then more than 10,000 Acehnese have been killed - mainly civilians - out of the population of just over four million. At least 1,500 people were killed in this year alone. On May 10, 2002, both parties issued a joint statement outlining the goals and conditions of the peace process in Aceh. They agreed to hold democratic and free elections in the region in 2004, as well as an immediate cessation of hostilities and all acts of violence.
Acehnese are noticing that life is slowly changing: more residents are out on the street and roadblocks have vanished from the main roads. Indonesia’s military general Djali Yusuf has confirmed that most of his soldiers have been pulled out of the Cot Trieng area, where the most recent military action has taken place.
Observers agree that the peace agreement is a precarious one, as the reality of enforcing the terms on the ground poses a number of challenges. Many within GAM still cling to hopes for an independent Aceh, believing that war is the only solution, and that if they give up their weapons they will have nothing left. Indeed, a timetable for disarmament remains unresolved, and a major sticking point between the two sides. GAM’s leader has stated the movement will continue to work for independence, but noted that Acehnese will be able to vote on their future.
The Indonesian Army will also have to be restrained and its actions monitored if the agreement is to be successful. Over 150 unarmed international observers will be stationed in Aceh to oversee the implementation of the deal, but they warn that they will have little power to intervene in a crisis, and that the burden of responsibility rests on the two armed parties to the agreement.
GAM has accused the army of killing ten Acehnese since the signing on December 9; Indonesia, for its part, has accused GAM of breaching the deal 24 times already. A recent visit by President Megawati Sukarnoputri to Aceh underscored the significance of the agreement, and was meant to bolster support for it. During her visit, she pledged to help rebuild the region, which is mired in poverty despite its abundant natural resources, and lucrative extractive industries based there. Part of the agreement promises 70% of profits from natural gas and other operations to the Acehnese.
