Fear forestalls reconciliation efforts in Maluku<\/p>\n
Alain Bommenel, Agence-France Presse, Ambon, Maluku<\/p>\n
Christians and Muslims on Maluku islands are trying to learn
\nagain how to live with each other, 21 months after a peace accord
\nended three years of bloody fighting.<\/p>\n
But fear, fueled by memories of the thousands of dead, still
\ndivides them.<\/p>\n
A peace pact was signed on Feb. 12, 2002 in this archipelago
\nof 100 islands, once known as the Spice Islands. In September a
\ncivil emergency was lifted.<\/p>\n
Machete-wielding \"red\" (Christian) and \"white\" (Muslim)
\nmilitiamen have disappeared from the provincial capital Ambon,
\nwhich nestles in a bay dotted with trawlers and rusty freighters.<\/p>\n
But ruined churches and mosques and hundreds of shattered or
\nfire-gutted homes disfigure the streets. Their faded walls bear
\nfew bullet holes: neighbors and friends slaughtered each other
\nmainly with machetes or homemade bombs.<\/p>\n
The conflict claimed more than 5,000 lives -- almost 10,000,
\naccording to Christian sources -- and made almost 700,000 people
\nhomeless.<\/p>\n
\"There has been quite a bit of a change in the past five
\nmonths,\" said Anthony Badha, a local United Nations humanitarian
\nofficial. \"But fear still needs to be conquered and that cannot
\nbe done in a day or a month or even a year.\"<\/p>\n
Local officials too paint a picture of life returning to
\nnormal and a continuing reconciliation process.<\/p>\n
\"Security has been transferred to the police,\" said Maluku
\nmilitary commander Maj. Gen. Agustadi. \"The armed forces will
\nwithdraw in May 2004.\"<\/p>\n
During the war Christians were chased out of mainly Muslim
\nareas and vice versa and refugees are now the main problem. There
\nare still 188,000 of them, official figures show.<\/p>\n
Financial help is given to encourage them to return home and
\nrebuild.<\/p>\n
But lingering fears keep Ambon a divided city. A \"neutral\"
\nzone, the former front line, delineates Muslim and Christian
\nsectors.<\/p>\n
The zone, with markets, administrative buildings and a
\ncommercial center, is one of the few places where friends from
\nthe two sides can meet.<\/p>\n
\"It's not safe to return home and in any case my house has
\nbeen rented again,\" said Raihun Umagap, 41, a Muslim in a camp of
\nmore than 3,000 refugees.<\/p>\n
A sniper killed her husband in 1999 as he was leaving a
\nmosque.<\/p>\n
Jacob Hukam has lived since 1999 in a camp housing more than
\n700 Christians. His son Pascal was born there.<\/p>\n
\"My house in the Muslim area of Batumerah has been burnt out,\"
\nhe said. \"I can't go back there, I'm too scared. But I don't want
\nto live out my life here.\"<\/p>\n
\"I'm always scared and I don't know why,\" said Diana, a
\nChristian student aged 25. \"But there was so much killing. Never
\ndid we imagine at the outset that the situation would become so
\nterrible.\"<\/p>\n
The conflict began on Jan. 19, 1999, with an argument between
\na Christian bus driver and a Muslim passenger. Riots in Ambon
\nspread to other islands, plunging an archipelago once seen as a
\nmodel of cohabitation into chaos.<\/p>\n
Almost two years after peace came, each side refuses to accept
\nthe blame for the bloodshed and resentments fester.<\/p>\n
The Maluku Christians felt threatened by Muslim migrants and
\naccused army units of siding with Muslims during the war. Muslims
\naccuse Christians of monopolizing local government jobs.<\/p>\n
Both sides agree that outsiders fueled the conflict. The
\nChristians say some soldiers and national politicians provoked
\nand fueled the violence.<\/p>\n
In May 2000, 3,000 members of the Laskar Jihad Islamic militia
\narrived, bent on waging a holy war against Christians.
\nAuthorities did nothing to stop the arrival, strengthening
\nChristian suspicions.<\/p>\n
Last year Laskar Jihad announced it was disbanding and most
\nmembers left the Malukus. But some of them -- one hundred,
\naccording to a Muslim source -- are still there.<\/p>\n
\"Laskar Jihad no longer exists. The war is over, We are here
\nfor humanitarian activities, social work and for sharia (Islamic
\nlaw),\" said Mohammad, 28, clad in a white robe and sporting a
\nwispy beard.<\/p>\n
He was speaking at a small clinic run by five militants in a
\nMuslim district.<\/p>\n
The other challenge is to revive the economy and find jobs for
\nyoung people. \"Investors can come back, the situation is safe,\"
\nsaid the head of the investment coordinating agency, Yodie Patty.<\/p>\n
But 60 percent of foreign investment is in just one sector,
\nfishing. Since the end of the war it has amounted to just
\nUS$183,000.<\/p>\n
\"The main problem is making Maluku people feel comfortable
\nagain in their own land and getting them to rebuild,\" said Maluku
\nGovernor Karel Albert Ralahalu. \"It needs time -- a long time.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/fear-forestalls-reconciliation-efforts-in-maluku-1447893297",
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