Aceh : Conflictand development after Helsinki Agreement

zulkarnaen, iskandar and suzanna, ella (2017) Aceh : Conflictand development after Helsinki Agreement. In: Malikussaleh International Conference on Multidiscliplinary Studies, 26-27 November 2017, Lhokseumawe.

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Abstract

Since the peace agreement between the Government of Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement (Gerakan Aceh Merdeka or GAM) was signed in Helsinki, on August 15, 2005, Aceh has remained stable. However, it does not mean conflict never happened. Some cases which were potential threats to peace in Aceh occurred many times, ranging from crime problems to social, political, and terrorism ones. These cases also happened in other places in Indonesia, yet for Aceh, they were very sensitive because they had always been associated with peace threat and rebellion issues. Some religion-based terrorism actions disrupted the peace process in Aceh, but it is certain that the terrorist networks had nothing to do with GAM and Acehnese. They only used Aceh as an escape area after they were hunted by security forces in Java. The values of Islam in Aceh are not easily penetrated by radicalism offered by the terrorist groups. Up to now, peace and stability in Aceh have been maintained. After gaining considerable advantage from power sharing with the Government of Indonesia, GAM has been comfortable with the situation and forgotten the idea of independence. Conflict and armed violence are still frequent in some places, but they have been transforming from vertical (between the Indonesian Military/TNI and GAM) into horizontal ones with various reasons. The most prominent one is the question of access to power which in turn has impact on economic access. This paper will discuss the anatomical changes in the pattern of conflict after the peace agreement. In Addition, this paper will also review Aceh’s current political situation focussing on the terrorism issues and post-conflict local elections, the process and development of conflict, the compromise, and the future forecast for the political and administrative system of local governance in Aceh. Keywords: Aceh-Indonesia, terrorism, conflict, elections.

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