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.