Insurgency in Aceh

Insurgency in Aceh
Part of Cold War and War on Terrorism
Location of Aceh in Indonesia
Date 4 December 1976 – 15 August 2005 (28 years, 8 months, 1 week and 4 days) Location Aceh, Indonesia Result Indonesian victory; peaceful conclusion to conflict; Helsinki Memorandum of Understanding (MoU); Special autonomy for Aceh Disarmament of the GAM End of GAM's claim of independence Departure of non-organic Indonesian troops, leaving only 25,000 soldiers in the province Aceh Monitoring Mission Regional elections held
Belligerents
Indonesia Supported by:  United States	Free Aceh Movement Supported by: Free Papua Movement  Libyan Arab Jamahiriya  Soviet Union (1976-1991)
Commanders and leaders
Suharto Jusuf Habibie Abdurahman Wahid Megawati Sukarnoputri Susilo Yudhoyono	Hasan di Tiro Zaini Abdullah Abdullah Syafei'i † Muzakkir Manaf Sofyan Daud Ayah Muni  †
Strength
12,000 (1990) 30,000 (2001) 15,000 (2002) 35,000-50,000 (2003)	25 (1976) 200 (1979-89) 750 (1991) 15,000-27,000 (1999) 3,000 (2005)
Casualties and losses
100 soldiers killed (1976–2005)	Civilians and military killed: 100 (1976–79) 2–10,000 (1991-92) 393 (1993) 1,041 (2000) 1,700 (2001) 1,230 (2002)
15,000 total dead

Indonesian victory; peaceful conclusion to conflict; Helsinki Memorandum of Understanding (MoU);

Free Aceh Movement
Supported by:

The insurgency in Aceh was a conflict fought by the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) between 1976 and 2005, with the goal of making the province of Aceh independent from Indonesia. The Indonesian state had designated it as the "Aceh Disturbance" (or Pemberontakan Aceh). Effects of strong military offensive in 2003 and 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake brought a peace deal and an end to the insurgency.

There is something of a cultural and religious difference between Aceh and much of the rest of Indonesia. A more conservative form of Islam than is mainstream in most of Indonesia is widely practised 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'. Further, not surprisingly given the location of the province at the northern end of Indonesia, there is a widespread feeling in the province that leaders in distant Jakarta do not understand Aceh's problems and have little sympathy for local needs and customs in Aceh.

The centralist tendencies of the government of Suharto, along with other grievances, led Hasan di Tiro to form the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) on 4 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 into Aceh. The perceived unfair distribution of income from Aceh's substantial natural resources was another point of contention. GAM's first operation in 1977 was carried out against Mobil Oil Indonesia which was the shareholder of PT Arun, the company which operated the Arun gas field.

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