EU’s Indonesia mission ‘on track’ despite clashes

By Andrew Beatty

Date: 27/10/05

The EU remains upbeat about its first monitoring mission in Asia, despite reports of two violent clashes between the Indonesian government and members of the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

Just over a month into the task of monitoring a ceasefire in the Indonesian province of Aceh, EU representatives said this week they were confident of meeting their goals.

"There remains some way to go, but given the tangible results we can definitely say we are well on track," said Jüri Laas, a spokesperson for the mission.

In a bid to end the 28-year-old conflict, the EU has placed a 219-strong team of observers on the ground to monitor a deal that was agreed in August.

The EU's tasks include overseeing the disarming of separatists and the withdrawal of non-local Indonesian forces.

According to the latest figures, since the EU's Aceh Monitoring Mission began on 15 September a total of 476 weapons have been collected from GAM members, around half of the 840 arms that are to be delivered before a 31 December deadline.

In the same time Jakarta has withdrawn more than 7,000 police and military personnel.

Felix Heiduk of the Berlin-based Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik said the presence of the monitoring mission appeared to be helping. "There have been very few incidents breaking the [terms of the] peace process, in general it has been pretty successful," he said.

According to figures complied by the World Bank, despite recent clashes, violent incidents between the GAM and Indonesian troops continue to be at a low level, down from an estimated 33 in June this year, although in the past month the number of gang and vigilante incidents has grown to a level similar to that in the immediate aftermath of last December's tsunami.

"Obviously actors who made quite a lot from the conflict are now turning to banditry to fill their pockets," said Heiduk, adding that there was a danger that the withdrawal of Indonesian forces and the disarming of GAM could result in the impression of a power vacuum.

According to the Bank's September assessment of the situation in the province "to some degree, local level conflict forms are replac- ing GAM-government of Indonesia [conflicts]."

At a meeting on Tuesday (25 October), Indonesian officials and representatives of the GAM failed to agree on the fate of 115 GAM prisoners.

The GAM has presented a list of people it believes are political prisoners, although this list is disputed by the Indonesian authorities who believe them to be criminals.

"It is unclear why some of the people are there," admits Laas, "discussions are under way to make one list, some will remain in detention and some will be released but the numbers are not yet clear."

Under the August agreement pardoned political prisoners will receive land, employment, or social security once released.

The EU has also struggled to bring all GAM members into the process, with one regional commander yet to make contact with the mission.

The EU is also expected to assist in the run-up to elections in Aceh in April 2006 which observers say could bring renewed tension.

Article reports on the EU's mission to Indonesia's Aceh province, which in September 2005 started monitoring a ceasefire after the 28-year long conflict had ended with an agreement one month earlier. The EU's tasks included overseeing the disarming of separatists and the withdrawal of non-local Indonesian forces.

• Primary Source

EEAS: Policies: Security and Defence: EU operations: Aceh Monitoring Mission http://www.eeas.europa.eu/archives/csdp/missions-and-operations/aceh-amm/pdf/15122006_factsheet_aceh-amm_en.pdf

---