Portrait of Aceh's no-man's-land

Portrait of Aceh's no-man's-land

Teuku Agam Muzakir, The Jakarta Post, Lhokseumawe,
Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam

Entering Buket Nibong village in Jrat Manyang subdistrict, Tanah
Jambo Aye district, North Aceh regency, is like being in a no-
man's-land. More than 450 inhabitants have fled the area to
escape the battles between the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the
rebel Free Aceh Movement (GAM) that have been raging since 1999.

The area is located about 65 kilometers east of Lhokseumawe,
the second largest city in the troubled province of Nanggroe Aceh
Darussalam, along the coast of the Strait of Malacca. The area is
known as a stronghold of GAM, which has been under heavy pressure
by the TNI since the imposition of martial law in Aceh in May
last year.

There is an eerie quiet as soon as you set foot on the road
leading to Buket Nibong village. The dirt road is filled with
rocks and is overgrown with grass. The village is hilly and
surrounded by woods, over which hangs a deathly still.

Do not expect to shelter from the sun and rest in a
comfortable house here, as there is nothing in the village that
qualifies as such. There are no schools for the children or
public clinics for the sick. The nearest elementary school is
located about three kilometers away, in the neighboring village
of Lhok Beuringen.

According to several people who once lived in Buket Nibong,
the area was once the most bustling in the whole of the Jrat
Manyang subdistrict. Residents, after returning home from their
fields, would gather and chat in coffee stalls along the
village's main road.

But that was four years ago, before the villagers abandoned
their homes and fields because of the gunfights and bomb blasts.

Since 2000, more than 55 families have moved to other, more
peaceful villages.

"It has been four years since we fled because we were afraid
of becoming victims in the gunfights between the TNI and GAM,"
said Jafaruddin, 41, who now lives in Kreung Lingka village, some
three kilometers north of Buket Nibong.

"One day, when it was raining heavily, a bomb suddenly
exploded. Another day, many of our heads of livestock were shot
and killed during a fierce battle," he said.

A large part of the residents fled to their relatives' homes
in other villages far from Buket Nibong. But many were forced to
fend for themselves, building huts on other people's land for
shelter.

Buket Nibong residents are now scattered in Ulee Glee, Ujung
Blang, Matang Rambong, Lingka, Paya Bakong, Matang Iboh, Matang
Sungke Puleut, Matang Raya and several other villages.

Even though security in Aceh is beginning to improve, the
residents still are unable to return to their homes.

Most of their homes they abandoned were burned down by armed
groups. And the banana and candlenut farms they left four years
ago are now overgrown with wild shrubs.

Those who are taking refuge in other villages are discouraged
because they have never received any kind of assistance from the
government, despite the fact that billions of rupiah of
humanitarian aid has been extended by the central government to
Aceh.

"We are common people who don't know who to turn to. We would
be grateful if the government helped us, but if they don't we
don't know what to say," said Jafaruddin.

Muhammad Ismail, 52, a former head of Buket Nibong village who
now lives in Kreung Lingka village, said many residents were
gathering up their courage to look after their abandoned farms,
despite the security concerns.

Buket Nibong village, once home to 450 inhabitants, was a
place where strong mountain winds blew. At the foot of the hill,
paddy fields spread out evenly. But all that is in the past now.
The conflict in Aceh has destroyed these happy memories and
driven the residents from their once-peaceful home.